Persona 3 Repeat: Whisper
by Yuki-Infel
Summary: What if Sanada Miki survived the fire of their orphanage? The incident left her scarred for life but she could always count on her brother and his gangster-like best friend. She may or may not get tangled between the lives of Persona-users and the Muse of Gekkoukan, though.
1. Butterfly Net

**A/N: I love writing what-if scenarios, that's why most of my fanfics are based around that. This babe mostly followed the canon with changes you'd notice here and there. Please do tell me what do you think of this fic, okay? Tootaloo!**

 **Disclaimer: Nobody owns Persona 3 except Atlus**

Chapter 1

Butterfly Net

In the history of Gekkoukan High School, there's one legend that stand out among other things. The legend says that, if you put your ears on the rooftop door after school and listen carefully, you will hear a beautiful singing voice that exceeds even the singer of the Music Club. But when you want to see the person beyond the door, you can't move your hands to open it, as if an unseen force blocks any attempt to do so. Thus, the Muse of Gekkoukan legend was created.

Today, the Captain of Boxing Club waited behind the door. He closed his eyes peacefully, forgetting his earlier misery when girls flocked around him hungrily. They circled around him with hearts in their eyes, vying for his attention. Well, it's not like he'd understand them, anyway. He knew he was saved by the time his eyes spotted Minato and Junpei, the newest addition to their team. He quickly shuffled to the two juniors, dragged them to Kurosawa-san's office and left them to decide on their weapon after he gave them the money from Mr. Chairman.

Akihiko returned to the school after that and waited patiently behind the rooftop door. The faint singing voice lulled him to sleep and he nearly stumbled on his back when the door opened suddenly, revealing the smiling face that crouched near where he sat. "Oh, Miki, you scared me," he got up from the floor and affectionately patted the hair of his only sister, the only blood relative he had left.

The girl smiled softly as she opened a notebook in her grip and wrote quickly.

 _'_ _Let's go back! Oh, but I want to try the mystery ramen that Shinji-san recommended yesterday,'_ she held up the notebook for her brother to see.

"You know that I won't be able to refuse your request," Akihiko sighed in defeat and held his sister's hand as they left the school together. Yes, the Muse of Gekkoukan was his dear sister. It somehow sticks to her like a secret identity, though.

"I wonder why you don't tell everyone that the Muse of Gekkoukan is you, heck I know I'll be proud of it," Akihiko puts his hands behind his head as they walked through the shopping district. He glanced through the area and saw an old couple talked animatedly with Minato who was busy eating his melon bread.

A pair of stormy eyes noticed the Sanada siblings and Minato smiled. He turned to the old couple and handed them a leaf. The wife was teary-eyed as the couple bid Minato a farewell, he jogged to the siblings.

"Eating ramen again, senpai? I thought you don't eat anything other than protein pills," Minato joked, which earned him a smack in the head from the boxing captain. Minato laughed quietly and winked to the quiet girl, "Hi, Miki-chan," Akihiko glared to the Field Leader as Miki wrote quickly on her notebook, " _Hi, too, Minato-senpai."_

It was an unwritten rule to never, ever try to flirt with the younger Sanada especially if her big brother is in the vicinity.

Minato led the way to the ramen shop and opened the door for Miki, " _You're such a gentleman, senpai,"_ Akihiko pouted at the sight. If his fangirls saw that pout now, they'd glomp him and compete against each other to be the one who comforts Akihiko first. It was a haunting experience.

As if sensing the discomfort of her brother, Miki's pale hands reached Akihiko and pinched his cheeks, she grinned heartily. Akihiko quickly ushered her inside the ramen shop and ordered two mystery ramen that Shinji recommended for them. Minato, who had became a somewhat popular figure in the shopping district, didn't say anything to the shop owner, the man already knew what his order was. His constant visits to the shop with Kenji, the gourmet king, and Kazushi certainly earned him the reputation.

Minato and Akihiko chatted with hushed voices over matters that only the SEES are privy to between eating as the tantalizing aroma from the ramen wafted through the air. The soft ruby-eyed girl beside them ignored their talk as she worked her way through the delicious, fulfilling treat. She noticed something was amiss and she wrote a question on her note,

" _Where's Shinji-san?"_ Miki put her chopsticks in front of her lips as she chewed furiously. Her long, silverette fringe that hides her scarred jawline followed the line of her boys stopped chatting and looked over her.

"Who's Shinji?" Minato asked. Ah, he never heard about them, then. Miki breathed a sigh of relief and wrote back, " _Never mind,"_ Miki smiled innocently. Just like how they kept the matter in SEES from her as much as possible, Miki would keep the past to herself as much as possible.

They don't have to know anything.

Akihiko helped dismissing the topic as he stole the naruto from Minato's bowl. Minato, however, was deeply unimpressed and threaten Akihiko that he'd go out with Miki, approved or not. Everyone knew that Miki was practically Akihiko's ultimate weakness, aside from Bufu and Mitsuru.

The dorm life was great. Miki was glad that Yukari-senpai had stopped giving her that pitying face after she heard about the accident from Akihiko. Junpei-san would offer her baseball practice from time to time whenever Mr. Chairman visited the dorm. Mitsuru-senpai was studying Advanced Economics. It'll be great to discuss capitalism theory application with her, maybe if she's patient enough to wait for her to write everything.

And then, there's Minato-senpai. He'd get the evil eyes from Nii-chan whenever he tried something at her, but honestly? He's the one who made more effort than anyone else to cheer her up after he transferred here about a month ago, second only to Akihiko. That was around the time when she was released from her yearly treatment.

Damn, they're reasons she'd be unable to wear skirt shorter than 5 cm from her knees. Sucks.

Miki glanced through another victim of Apathy Syndrome on their way back to the dorm. Her earlier musing forgotten as she ran ahead from the two and approached the victim. She opened her mouth but disappointed to find no voice escaped her throat. She opted to reach for a water bottle inside her bag and guided The Lost to at least drink a gulp from the bottle. The victim stared at her unconsciously and let out gurgles of incomprehensible words before Miki gave up and put the bottle to his side.

"Don't worry about them, the number of victims would decrease after we beat those Shadows," Akihiko put his arm around his baby sister's shoulder and looked at her eyes determinedly. Oh don't get her wrong, Miki did knew about Shadows, Persona, Dark Hour and all those general knowledge about them. Everyone in SEES just put her in the dark about their fights. Other than that, anything is fine.

Miki hugged him back, too small to reach Akihiko's shoulder so this will do. Minato smiled softly beside them. The very epitome of understanding and calm different from his playful self minutes ago.

 _Which one is the real you?_

They walked to the common room, just in time to see Junpei swung around his new katana while Yukari and Mitsuru observed from afar. Minato sighed and took Junpei to the rooftop to practice his swinging technique. One glance and everyone knew that it wasn't how to swing a double-handed sword. That was baseball, all right.

 **End Note: First off, I'm not soo gonna make Miki as pure as freshly-driven snow. Second, I like Minato who's not an overpowered psycho or a cool dude. Nope, not a chance. Everyone in SEES is human, no matter how god-like or special they may be. His strength will grow accordingly. I hope I made my points across. Oh, and do think of Miki as an OC or a canon however way you want since she (unfortunately) didn't join us in the game. Bye for now :)**

 **One question, how do you spell silverette or silverete?**


	2. Feather of Atonement

Chapter 2

Feather of Atonement

Near the school gate, Minato was approached by his first friend in Gekkoukan, Kenji Tomochika. The Magician seemed down about something, "Heya, Minato." Kenji sighed, his spirit long gone from the school. "What's up with you, wanna go to the ramen shop after this?" Minato looked at him funnily.

"Hah... No thanks, man. Not even ramen can heal me now," okay, now he did sounded downright disappointed. Minato quirked an eyebrow with that neutral expression on his face, which his friends could interpret as a "Speak. Now" gesture.

"Well, as long as you don't tell the Discipline Commitee," Kenji whispered conspiratively. Kenji leaned closer while Minato swept a casual gaze, no Hidetoshi or Aragaki in sight.

"I installed wiretap on the rooftop,"

What?

Minato blinked owlishly. It's a real trouble. Hidetoshi would be furious. And he'll be dragged on another trip of interrogation around the school. Minato's _so_ not going for that.

"Why?" Minato managed. His brain still processing the time Kenji had before he'd be strangled by Hidetoshi's fury. Kenji groaned at Minato's question. "Aren't you curious? I mean, you don't know?"

Know of what?

"The Muse of Gekkoukan, duh!" now Kenji acted like he's some kind of hot stuff on gossip channel, like the ones Yukari watched in the dorm, maybe that's why she's so cautious to rumors about her. "Like, you can't open the rooftop door when the Muse sang? When you peeked from the ventilation but don't see anything?"

"What does it have to do with wiretap, anyway? It's technically illegal, you pervert, MILF hunter" Minato pressed further, still with his expressionless facade. To his credit, Kenji blushed a healthy red hue. "Ugh. No need to tell me that, Minato," his blush receded slowly and he really looked depressed now. Minato decided to humor him.

"So what about your wiretap?"

"I tried to record the Muse of Gekkoukan sang, but you guess what? The wiretap broke. No don't look at me like that, Minato. It's a serious shit," Kenji pouted while Minato didn't even try to hide his snicker.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to be involved with the Muse,"

"Huh? D-don't tell me you know who she is?!"

"No telling,"

"Why?" Kenji moaned.

You wouldn't want to deal with her big brother's fist. You wouldn't want her big brother to know that you installed wiretap on his dear sister. Trust me.

"One day, you'll be grateful that I won't tell you," Minato nodded like a sage who stroke his beard. Kenji sighed wistfully and on the next second he looked at Minato determinedly, "Next time, I'll try with cctv,"

Noooooo you'll be sacked and zapped and 91,3% chance of being sent into the next year. On hospital leave.

"Hey! I'm a proud MILF hunter, what do you expect?" Nothing, just for you to upgrade a brain and staaayy far away from the jewel of Sanada family. When Akihiko's face said murder, even Minato barely made it out alive by flirting with Miki yesterday.

Sigh.

Wishing his friend good luck and a promise to himself that the next time Minato visits the shrine he'll pray to the higher power above that Akihiko won't catch him red-handed, Minato sent Kenji on his way. In the hallway, he found Miki surrounded by adoring female seniors, they flocked around the tinier Sanada and cooed at her poor flushed face. One of them brought a white cat ear headband and currently tried to put it on Miki while her scarred jaw was pursed in a thin line. Ah, it'll complement the silverette nicely, Minato think. Popularity runs in the family.

De ja vu?

He smiled to the senior crowd who lets him in nicely. In the center of the crowd, Miki was clearly relieved that one of her dormmates showed up. "Thank you, seniors. Ok, let's get you to class." Minato pulled Miki gently yet firmly out from the suffocating crowd.

"Lucky you, Minato. I want to be in the same dorm as Miki," one of the seniors sulked, voicing the entire group's wish. It didn't help that Miki's cheeks flushed again and the seniors melted at the sight.

"Nope, Miki's our property," Minato told the seniors good naturedly and they laughed together. The crowd dispersed soon after the bell rang.

 _"_ _Thank you, Senpai. I didn't think I could get out by myself. They kept forcing that damned headband to me"_ Miki wrote quickly as they rushed to the stairs. Minato furrowed his brows, "Why not? I think it'll look good on you." Minato smiled coyly, a thought crossed his mind. "I even think that Akihiko-senpai would agree with me."

 _"_ _I don't really want to look good like that,"_ Miki grimaced. They reached the 1st year's class hallway and Miki waved good bye at him. "Study hard!" the midnight-haired teenager said and ran up to his class hallway.

He, however, already turned his back when the girl's soft features took on a blank expression.

* * *

The final bell that the school was over rang loudly. Minato pushed himself from his seat as his classmates cheered loudly and Junpei opened his sleep-induced eyes, he yawned with open mouth and noticed Minato walked to the door. "Hey, Minato!"

Minato stopped on his track while Junpei packed his things in a haste. "You saved my bacon again from Ms. T, dude. Let's eat something on the way back! My treat," Junpei snickered and Minato got pulled out from the class. They met Aragaki-senpai, the Head of Discipline Commitee on the hallway, though. He's also the inactive member of SEES. "Senpai! Wanna go for a beef bowl? You're paying for yourself, though." To his response, Junpei got a raised eyebrows in return.

"Council day," Aragaki said gruffly. He spotted Minato and flicked his neck to him, "Get in, lazy ass" to which Minato pouted at, "Sorry, Junpei. Next time."

Junpei guffawed, "Lucky I'm not in the council. Try not to get burned out, dude. Later" they were about to part their ways when Chihiro, the Treasurer appeared from the hallway while she talked quietly with Miki, writing in Miki's case. They were in the same Book Club, Minato remembered.

Chihiro smiled shyly at him and Miki teased-shoved her to Minato's direction. The poor girl blushed and almost shrieked when her phobia set in. She covered her face with a book instead and walked to Miki. They could –almost, hear a giggle from Miki.

Then, Miki looked starry-eyed at Aragaki. Yeah, she did reminded Minato of his deceased sister. She wrote something quickly. _"Shinji-san, big bro had practice today but didn't let me go back alone. Are you busy?"_

Ah, so Aragaki-senpai was the same Shinji-san she mentioned when they went to the ramen shop. They lived in the same dorm, for God's sake. Why didn't he realized that sooner? Then... those three... they came from the same orphanage? If Minato seemed surprised by his revelation or that Aragaki-senpai looked torn between accompanying Miki home and attending student council, he didn't show it.

" I-I would worry if M-Miki-chan returned to the dorm a-alone," Chihiro quipped. Miki crossed her arms defiantly. "Well, _I_ happen to be free, Miki-chan. We could even go to the batting center"Junpei heroically stepped in. Aragaki-senpai sighed and Minato rolled his eyes, but at least that solved one problem.

"I'd rather you to wait and we'd return together, but whatever. Junpei, you know the consequence if something happened to her, got it?" Aragaki smirked evilly, Junpei sweatdropped in response. "What are you, Senpai? Her father? Nah, we always go to that batting center, anyway. Let's go!" Junpei marched with one hand up in the air, Miki genially copied his moves and they disappeared from sight.

* * *

The first time Minato met the half-mute girl was after Yukari visited him on the hospital. He was about to be discharged when Akihiko entered his room with a silverette with scarred jawline behind him, saying that he's picking up his sister from her yearly treatment and got his arm sling replaced, visited him on their way. When Akihiko and his sister –Miki, she wrote her name on her notebook- sat on his either sides of bed to ask his condition, he saw her badly burnt thighs and looked away politely.

The fire trapped everyone in the orphanage, Akihiko told him. A rotten cupboard fell on his sister's lower body and she screamed and screamed. He watched her there, frozen on his track while his best friend yelled for help. They got away alive and Miki was diagnosed with selective mutism along with a second degree burn. But he was glad that they could face it together, Akihiko reminisced.

Her ruby eyes stared at him as he was back to reality, to his hospital room. For a second, Minato thought that it was Minako's eyes that looked back at him. Minako's eyes were a more vibrant hue of red, a legacy from their mother. Akihiko helped him to pack his belongings and the three of them returned to the dorm. They never spoke about that again.

So, starting from then, he talked to Miki. It was an agonizing process at first. The younger Sanada would dismiss him like a fly. Her first writing to him was a 'no' and a week passed and it improved to her telling Minato that her hobby is singing. She had yet to give him a smile back then. Another week passed and all he learnt was that even Akihiko has yet to make her speak. The next day on lunchtime, he saw Akihiko sat by the school rooftop door as a lulling singing voice resounded through them. Akihiko smiled and Minato joined him as they rested by the stairs, the magnitude of sincerity of that voice rejuvenated his tired body. Then, Minato opened his eyes to see Miki roused Akihiko from his nap. They fell asleep on the stairs, apparently. The siblings smiled at each other but what Minato saw was his younger self and Minako. Miki looked back at him and for the first time in a month, she smiled to him.

Maybe, just maybe, Minako wanted him to atone.

Maybe, just maybe, Minato wanted to give himself an illusion of forgiveness for surviving.

 **Author Note:**

 ** _Forgive me for surviving. The guilt would still seeps through my bones whenever they mentioned what a great person you were._**

 **So, this chapter will be a parting gift before I went to Bogor for a training. See you later in two months^^ Review, guys. I would be lost without that because I'd like to know what the readers are thinking, teehee.  
**


	3. Unholy priestess

Chapter 3

Unholy Priestess

Mitsuru brandished her rapier. The steel shone grimly against the green-tinted windows. Penthesilea sensed something. The Queen encased her eyes with its cold hands and whispered things only Mitsuru could hear. Its blue-helmed head regarded Mitsuru and for once, Mitsuru sensed the forming of a smile on her Persona behind that mask. The chains around Penthesilea's torso jingled, became taught and Mitsuru forced herself to stop the incoming nausea whenever Penthesilea's coverage has reached its limit.

Junpei gulped, trying to dissipate his wariness. This is the the first time he'll fight a Shadow with a bigger reading, but his excitement quickly flooded over the initial wariness. Akihiko was being complacent that night when he was told to step down from the fight and he left to guard in front of Miki's room. Yukari's grip on her bow faltered, Mitsuru glanced around and nod to Arisato, the boy noticed her silent command to calm their primary healer. Minato touched Yukari's shoulder and she eased her tense muscles, a shaky smile on her face as Minato talked her out of her paranoia. The main powerhouse of the party grunted at the tenseness of his juniors and he flexed his upper arms, testing the familiar weight of his axe.

The reading had pinpointed a railway and Mitsuru quickly dismissed Penthesilea to avoid further headache. Mitsuru took a deep breath, "I found it! Everyone, get ready and meet me on the railway station!" she commanded and all at once, they dispersed, quickly moving out with their signature weapons with Shinjiro leading the way. Mitsuru clasped one hand over her ear, "Akihiko, on standby. We're leaving,"

Getting an affirmative from Akihiko, Mitsuru ran to the garage and retrieved her beloved bike. She inserted the key into the ignition and the engine roared to life, bringing quiet satisfaction to Mitsuru's smile. She pulled the trigger once again to summon Penthesilea and the Queen-like Persona disappeared into the thin, stale air of the garage. Penthesilea showed the limited viewpoint of the railway on her helmet's visor and she pushed the bike to its limit out from the dorm and passed through the empty, desolated street filled with coffins, swerved with practiced ease and the thrill of deadly speed exhilarated through the helmet, took her breath away.

As she rode through the illuminated quietness of the city, Mitsuru pushed to the top speed. Freedom is enticing, capturing and dangerous all the same. This speed is the only thing that Mitsuru could recall as a hobby. She had spent her earlier years of middle school to aid with the Persona Project, and the bike was the first hobby Mitsuru had found after she realized that being a Persona User meant that she must have the resolve to die in the line. The lengths she could go to protect Father. Laughable, really. Father wouldn't need an artificial Persona User to protect him while he had many armed mercenaries under his command. A daughter's wish to protect him is but a fickle, childish determination left behind by Mitsuru's younger self.

It had became simply a part of her truth.

The ride ended too fast for the heiress' liking as she arrived in front of her teammates. Everyone looked surprised except Shinjiro who had gotten used to Mitsuru's love for bikes, some whistled in interest and Mitsuru took off her helmet in time for Penthesilea to reappear. The faint buzz of Penthesilea's power swirled and Mitsuru took its gloved hand to help her out from the bike. At once, her face exuded the air of control. She's the commander. She's the strategist.

"Penthesilea detected a larger Shadow than usual outside Tartarus. It's affirmative that we neutralize this threat as soon as possible. The presence was confirmed to came from the train. I'm sorry that I can't detect much about it, this is the limit of its power. Yes, Iori?" Mitsuru glanced at the confused Junpei. "Train? Isn't that supposed to be, like, really dangerous?"

"The Shadow took hold of the train, but don't worry, it'll be okay because no machine operates during the Dark Hour." She explained. It perked Yukari up, her earlier tenseness replaced by strong curiosity, she inherited her father's keen sense of details natural to a scientist, Mitsuru acknowledged grimly. "But how about your bike? Isn't it a machine?" Mitsuru smiled then, "It's confidential issue, but it's special." Mitsuru took a glance to her teammates, surprised that Minato's eyes darken before he returned to his usual calm that supported the team. Maybe it's just her imagination.

"Shinjiro, lead the team," Mitsuru considered.

"Heh, gotta show 'em who's the boss, huh" her friend said sarcastically, alas boosted the juniors' competitiveness. Iori yelled, "Hey! Let me lead for once! It's always Minato or Aragaki-senpai" he sighed as he adjusted his well-worn cap. Mitsuru would've let him lead if the boy showed more ability to calm himself. There was one time where he ran panicly through the Tartarus on the team's second trip where he got separated from everyone else. He did looked like a headless chicken back then. Seeing his distress from Penthesilea's eyes doubled the enjoyment. She did nothing to help him found a portal.

What a sadist.

Mitsuru composed herself, disguising her beginning of a laugh with a cough. She signaled to the prepared team, "Operation, commence!"

* * *

Mitsuru operated the Sight Enhancer on her bike, it lets her to tap into Penthesilea's limited coverage and gave her bird view on the team. She closed her eyes as she touched the Enhancer, her Persona hovering with a shining blue, shard-like glow supplied from her Spirit behind its mistress. A Router's duty is to ensure the team's communication line in battle, guide them to an escape point should any danger comes close and give her suggestion to the team leader. Mitsuru had to admit that her capabilities as a Router are lacking, but she wouldn't ponder about it now, the mission's success is their current priority.

Mitsuru touched the Sight Enhancer with better contentration, smiled slightly when she saw Yukari glared hole at the males, threatening Junpei to not look up to her skirt. She called to their earpieces once they got into the train. "I suspect that the Shadow on Penthesilea's reading is located on the first train. Proceed carefully." Earning nods from them, Mitsuru watched their movements from behind. Mitsuru berated her breath when her teammates got trapped in the train, she should've seen it coming, it's her duty as a Router. Her teammates are trapped and she suggests them to proceed with extreme caution. The Shadows knew that her teammates were there. Taunted us. They're baiting, waiting. Why? Shadows has yet to show intellectual ability to form strategy, that was what Mitsuru knew from the research.

They encountered a weaker Shadow, perplexed by its movement. The Shadow didn't even try to defeat them, it perished quickly under Shinjiro's reckless swing. But more Shadows showed up from above. Mitsuru saw Junpei got riled up, quickly restrained by Minato's arms. "They're easy! I can defeat them alone!". Mitsuru spoke through the earpieces, "Wait, Iori! Something's amiss, the enemy is acting strangely". He shrugged Minato's hands and replied "But we can defeat it, Senpai! Drat, I'll do it first,"

Junpei was about to take off alone when Shinjiro glared, "You're gonna overstep my order, Junpei? Hell, I don't care if you got beaten up by Shadows, calm the fuck off!" he said roughly and put his axe to the train floor, effectively blocked Junpei's path. Junpei has yet to yield but he knew that he won't get any help from his fellow juniors. "If small victory like beating a weak Shadow to a pulp satisfy you, then run your sorry ass and beat it," Shinjiro sneered. He rarely did that, Mitsuru saw him did that once when Akihiko nearly lose it, but that was years ago.

In his own way, he does care.

Junpei snorted derisively, "Fine! I'll defeat it to a pulp, like you say". And boy, did he took off with pure anger. Mitsuru sighed through the earpieces as Shinjiro muttered curses under his breath. "Continue with caution, we have to retrieve Junpei before we're picked off one by one," she hugged herself with her prone arms. Suddenly, her senses tingled, "Be careful! Above you!" Mitsuru warned as Minato shielded Yukari off from the Shadow and quickly recovered to give the weaker Shadows a beating.

"Yukari! Stay to the back, dumbass!" Shinjiro ordered with a gruff.

"I'm not dumb, Senpai!" Yukari yelled as she threw a Magaru that blew out the first wave of Shadows through the windows. Shinjiro took lead with Minato on his side, avoiding to use his evoker and charging with brute strength while Minato summoned Nekomata to roast the Spurious Books to a yelping mess.

The fight ended quickly, quite an overkill to take out those weaker Shadows, "Tch, they can't even put up a fight". Minato twisted his sword to get rid of the gooey, "Senpai's too strong, you even beat me and Junpei up during spars," he said with a monotone which suspiciously sounded like a resigned sigh. "Heh, you can't beat years of street fighting," their current leader snarled and they ran to the next car, trying in vain to find Junpei.

"Not here," Yukari said, her sight catching up with the empty car.

"Next car," Minato scanned with a glance and ran to the next car, only to find Junpei being surrounded by three Spurious Books. "Dammit! I can take care of this!" Yukari was about to go and help him when Minato grabbed her hands, "Let him defeat those Shadows," Yukari looked at their leader and Shinjiro grunted a nod. They stood in the sideline while Junpei frustatedly pulled his way through the Shadows and defeat the mob, albeit not unscathed.

Junpei stood while leaning heavily on his _Katana_ , tired and wounded but smirking triumphantly. Minato smiled approvingly at him and extended his arm to help Junpei got up. "See that? I can beat them just fine!" he snickered at Shinjiro. "You have a bloody nose, Stupei," Yukari said indignantly and she huffed. "Really? Shoot!" Junpei panicked, Yukari casted Dia at the minor injury and the team became quiet after that.

"...M'sorry, Senpai, but I guess thank you for not interrupting the fight" Junpei said guiltily.

"I hope you got nastier bruises next time you run off." Junpei sweatdropped at Shinjiro's words.

Outside from the railway, Mitsuru looked at the train faraway from her current position, the lone train seemed harmless from here. "I haven't sense anything yet, but stay alert! Don't let the Shadows separates everyone,"

Almost immediately, the train shook and rumbled with great velocity. Mitsuru gaped as the train shoot froward along the tracks. This is bad. "The Shadows took control of the train!" she felt their panic arises as the train sped up. She tried to ignore the blatant worry she felt and try to calm her teammates.

"Penthesilea sensed a strong presence in the front car. Calm down and proceed quickly to the front car, it seems that this Shadow is the one we're after," trying to ease her teammates' worry, Mitsuru said quietly.

"Be safe,"

* * *

Her teammates ran quickly to the front car, they tried to ignore the swamping minions of the stronger Shadow but they caught up quickly, so Minato shouted to them to form line position. Penthesilea's eyes calculated the remaining time. 7 minutes. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped on her uniform. They'll make it. They'll make it. They won't crash.

Yukari ran in the back, protecting them from the Shadows behind, occasionally switching with Minato. Shinjiro ran in the front, annihilating the hindrance and he alternated with Junpei if the Shadows didn't evaporate first. Hermes spun to a kick and filled the cramped train with bursting fire. 4 minutes.

They reached the front train, the juniors panted slightly out of breath. Assessing the looks from his underclassmen, Shinjiro nodded, his jaw set in a promise to vaporize the Shadow behind this mess. With a push, the front car appeared in their vision.

"Is this a friggin' boss?!" Junpei gaped openly. It's huge. A naked giant with black-white offsets grinned at them, covering the control bank completely with its body. Strands of dark and light paper-hair looming at them dangerously. "There's no time to gape at the enemy, Junpei! Let's go!" Minato snapped Junpei to reality and the boy fiddled with his broad sword clumsily before he joined the fray. 3 minutes.

Mitsuru urged Penthesilea's senses to its limit, the Persona glowed brighter and she felt her draining Spirit sapped from her mind. Nothing. The Shadow showed nothing except its Arcana. Mitsuru contemplated her evoker and the bike. She won't make it. She couldn't outrun a bullet train. It frustated her that she could see them but do nothing. She saw Yukari being tied by the Arcana Priestess' hairs while Junpei and Shinjiro hacked away at the Shadow, but being hindered by the minions it spawned although they can annihilate them easily. Minato pulled triggers after triggers, switching Personas quickly and casted elemental skills, it does damage to the Arcana Priestess but nothing could take it down. Junpei swung his _Katana_ to free Yukari, after which she loaded her bow with experienced speed and shot the arrows at the Priestess' eyes. 2 minutes.

"Hit!" Yukari yelled through the ruined train. The train has gained speed and she grasped anything she could hold onto. Terror clear across her face. The Priestess shrieked in agony, latching onto its eyes and removed the arrows. It went berserk and trashed around the party. "Uh oh" Junpei noted cleverly as he dodged hairs after hairs, he caught his cap before it got thrown away to the broken windows. The wind crashed wildly into the battlefield and everyone shielded their body from broken patches of iron and glass. 1 minute.

Minato summoned Rakshasa, his current strongest physical-oriented Persona. "Getsu-ei!" Minato yelled. Rakshasa twisted its sword, obeying the command. A shining light cut through the Priestess and cut off its right arm. It dissolved into a black misty goo. The Priestess is still alive, it focused its attacks to Minato and he managed to dodge most of the attack before a Bufu hit his shoulder. 40 seconds.

"Minato!" Yukari called out from her position, the speed made her queasy and her trembling hands struggled to reach her evoker. Amidst the chaos, fear quickly ebbed the party's will. Junpei aimed wildly at the minions, his face showed his fear. Minato laid on the floor, he grabbed his frozing shoulder as he tried to thaw the ice.

Shinjiro stood there silently. His beanie was long disappeared from his head, uncovering wild shoulder-length brown hair that rebelled against the wind. He took a deep breath. 30 seconds.

He pushed the nuzzle of his barely-used evoker to his chin. The doctors had prohibit him from summoning Hector, some tried to coax him into giving up on the evoker. Mitsuru spent more time helping with the project, and she returned with pills for him, uncaring of her frizzled hair and the dark ring below her eyes. The Sanada siblings visited him everyday after he collapsed, again. Twenty seconds.

And he knew he only have himself to blame.

BANG!

A dark horseman rose from his mind and he struggled to keep his lungs from the scorching numbness. The sword that cut through its skull formed a stream of blood to flow from its chest and a girdle was fastened to its heels. A gleaming bronze war helmet adorned its mouthless face. Its mangled body was tainted black, but it stood proudly behind its master.

 _Long time no see, Hector._

Shinjiro grinned with a bloodlust glee. This fight is over.

"FATAL END!"

* * *

"Shinjiro!" Mitsuru didn't care anymore. She rushed to her bike and raced with the bullet train. It's too far. No. No. She'll make it. Through Penthesilea's eyes, she saw the Arcana Priestess dissolved into nothingness, taken down by Hector's attack. But the train is still moving. Mitsuru saw a train on the next turn. "What are you waiting for?! There's another train ahead!" she pushed her bike's top speed. Ten seconds.

Junpei rushed to the control bank, "Dammit! I don't know how this thing works!" he wiped his sweating forehead. Eight seconds. Yukari sat beside her unconscious Senpai and applied Dia after Dia. Minato, the ice had thawed slightly from his shoulder, ran quickly to Junpei's side. They held one of the many brakes together, his hands atop Junpei's. Six seconds.

"Dude, if we pulled the wrong break... I'm sorry that I called you an asshole." Junpei's grin faltered slightly. Minato nodded. He looked behind him, Yukari gave him a smile as she supported Shinjiro's back.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I can be!"

 _We faced life and death. Together._

* * *

The train came to a halt. Only 5cm left from actual crashing to the train ahead. Mitsuru couldn't believe their luck. She parked her bike beside the train, shakily opened the front car's door and found her teammates sat hurdled on the floor with shaky legs much like her own. "D-did we stop?" Junpei said in disbelieve. His shirt was covered in sweat.

"Very much so," Minato replied breathily and they grinned at each other.

Yukari cried in her hands, Shinjiro had started to regain his consciousness. The heiress sat on the floor with her teammates. They made it. They're still alive. She smiled genuinely, this time... It doesn't feel like a chore, like how she's supposed to smile in front of her Father's colleagues. It feels good to smile like this, in this circle.

"Good job, everyone"

Mitsuru informed Akihiko and Mr. Chairman in the dorm, receiving his status report that nothing happened while they left.

"If only I and Penthesilea had more power, we could've made this easier for everyone,"

"Now, now, don't blame yourself, Mitsuru. Everyone did came out alive, right? You're doing just fine." The Chairman consoled her.

"I don't sense anymore Shadow, so let's go home," Mitsuru said, relieved as she supported Shinjiro on her shoulder. Junpei groaned, feeling hungry and Yukari chided him but they heard a loud rumble from Yukari's stomach. She felt embarassed and they laughed it off.

* * *

 **Author Note: Ha, that's what a level 37 Persona does to a level 10 Arcana Shadow. About Shinjiro, I deliberately changed his Persona to Hector** ** **the First Prince of Troy** although its initial level is still the same with Castor. Hector was also one of the Nine Worthies honored for their nobility and chivalry. By extention, I also changed Akihiko's Persona to match the mythology. You can google it up if you have time, it still hold the same link to Castor and Polydeuces' story. It's an interesting take on the Greek Mythology, particularly because the Troy has been regarded as a power hungry Kingdom.  
**

 **I found some time to upload this chapter. Whew, my schedule is cramped. Thanks for reading.**


	4. Your Hero

Chapter 4

Your Hero

The white noise bugged him. Deep within the recess of his mind, a struggling craze had ebbed away and retreated to the voidness. His breaths came easier and the tranquility brought by the wind that caressed his face pulled him deeper to sleep. Sound of laughs accompanied by the screech of a closed door erupted from the room and he wanted to tell whoever it was to fuck off and let him have his peace for once. A cool hand gripped his shoulder and another warm hand took his weak, jelly-like arm. That hand brought his arm to a... cheek? He felt someone brought his knuckles to their lips.

Brown eyes opened blearily. Shinjiro came to reality surrounded by his teammates, they cheered at him and Akihiko supported him to sit up. Miki's wet eyes scanned him. His fondness for the sister-like figure found his hand atop her head as Shinjiro brushed a stray silver hair to the back of her ear. Shinjiro glanced up, quite surprised that everyone was there. Junpei whooped to his bed, "You da man, Shinjiro-senpai! Your Persona was cool!"

Yukari sighed, " We were so close, huh. You saved us all, Shinjiro-san." She bowed slightly. "The seniors told us about your, uh... condition." She mumbled embarassedly. Minato continued for her, his hands securely hidden in his pockets, "I'm sorry that our situation pushed you to do that... But there's no point in apologizing again," His eyes gleamed, a curiously darker epitome of determination. "We have to train harder to catch up with Hector, right?"

"Ugh, dude. Please don't say 'train' from now on. I still get the chill just from hearing that word," Junpei groaned. The party would have difficulty to ride a train from now on, apparently. Mitsuru approached Shinjiro's bed. He sat still, waiting for something. A few seconds passed with an awkward silence.

"What? Not gonna hit me?" Shinjiro said harshly. A flash of hurt passed in Mitsuru's eyes and he quickly regretted it. He remembered the night when a 15 years old Mitsuru returned with dark bags under her eyes and unruly scarlet hair, the third night after his... failure and Hector's attempt to claim his life. The girl returned with pills she called Suppressant. He didn't say anything about the cuts and soots on her face and hands. They were proofs enough. He didn't want to say sorry. He didn't want to admit that his own destruction is near.

Even to himself.

Mitsuru opened her mouth, "No, I believe that confisticating your Evoker and ban you from SEES' activity for unmeasured time would be a more satisfactory punishment," she smiled bitterly. Both of them knew that it was the final straw, a point where they couldn't go back. Either Shinjiro couldn't control Hector anymore and die first or the resources of Kirijo had reached its limit and couldn't continue the Suppressant research anymore. It was a matter of time.

"...From now on, I formally place you as an inactive member of SEES again, Shinjiro" Mitsuru said quietly and he nodded in understanding. "Heh, sucks to be you, Shinji." Akihiko snarled mockingly, the recuperating patient glared holes at him. "Welcome to the injury list," Akhiko saluted with his still-healing armand suddenly Shinjiro wouldn't mind to throttle his best friend to see if he could still fight back with one good arm.

* * *

A nurse injected Shinjiro with a shot of pain killer, after which he was knocked out peacefully. The group was going to left him to rest. "Miki, let's go back," Akhiko called out to his sister who have yet to leave Shinjiro's side. Miki glanced to the team, an understanding expression passed through her marred face. Miki shook her head and she wrote quickly on he notepad. After she finished, she stood up to give her notepad to Akihiko.

 _"_ _I'm staying behind. Someone have to tell the nurse if Shinji-san wakes up."_ The first line said. _"There's something that SEES alone should talk about, right? I understand."_ Akhiko's eyes widen. His eyes left the note to wander at his sister. Two pairs of scarlet eyes met and Miki grasped the sides of her skirt, longer skirt than the usual school standard that hides her burnt thighs.

 _I'm not a part of your group_ , was left unsaid.

Akihiko's eyes sadden as he took a careful look at his sister's form. All of her shirt collars was modified into higher collars that still left some space for her air-sensitive neck. It gets itchy if the collar was too tight and the scars would redden. There were nights where he –and sometimes Shinji- held his crying sister as she grasped her redden neck a few days before her yearly treatment. If, somehow, he could end Miki's suffering... If there's another future where he was the one who was trapped in that fire, not his sister...

-He would do anything.

Akihiko couldn't bear the thought if one of the possible futures was where he was too cowardly to save Miki, where he drowned in his own guilt. Akihiko shook his head twice and he looked back to find his teammates waiting at the door. He patted his only family on her head.

"Okay, be safe. If you want to go home, message me so I can pick you up." Miki was ready to write more, probably to argue with the idea. "Don't argue with me, you know it's dangerous." Miki sighed and gave him a thumb up. He laughed at the mock retort and kissed Miki's forehead. He glanced at Shinjiro's sleping form one last time before he jogged to his teammates' side. "Lock the door! Don't forget to eat and don't wander alone at the hospital! Don't talk to strang—Ouch! Mitsuru! Don't pull my ears!"

"Noisy, you're interrupting another patients."

"Hey! It's normal to care about one's sister!"

"You're a siscon, Senpai"

"Minato! You traitor!" and their voices were gone gradually along with their footsteps.

* * *

Miki gigled. Finally, some peace. She skipped back at Shinjiro's bed, his breathing was normal. She checked his vital points and found another injury on Shinjiro's ribs. She glanced back at Shinjiro's face. The guy was deep in slumber. She tested his reaction and poked at the injured rib. Shinjiro winced, but asleep. Good.

Miki outstretched one of her arms. It glows a faint red.

* * *

SEES gathered in the common room. Minato rounded around, giving each of them his homemade egg milkshakes. Earning moans of approval, he smiled and sat in one of the empty couches. "I've never heard of egg milkshake before, Arisato. But très bien. This is good. Where did you learn to make it?" Mitsuru commented as she placed her Sight Enhanncer on her lap, readjusting the equipment and checked the basic coverage. Minato casted his eyes away.

"Minako used to ate nothing besides eggs, so I learnt to make it."

That crazed laugh. Out of control. Rage. Wanting to delete everything. Unbidden malice.

"Minako? Eh, your name is Minato...Then are you two twins?!" Junpei asked as he refilled his share on the kitchen counter.

"Yep," the calm on his eyes returned. Junpei noticed something amiss and he blurted out, "Err, sorry dude. Must be something bad,"

"Hmm," He hummed and Minato promptly glanced at Mitsuru, urged her to start. Mitsuru stood up to place the Sight Enhancer on the Monitoring Console. "All concerns aside, what I want to discuss can be inferred about the Shadow that took control of the train. Mr. Chairman had confirmed from the battle data that Shadows seems to develop some kind of ability to form strategy. We must never be too overconfident in our power," she said grimly.

"Well, if it comes to that, we just have to be stronger, right?" Akihiko's eyes shone with glee but Mitsuru quickly interjected his hope. "Well, if you hope to join the front line again, you should heal first,"

Akhio sighed, "And here I hope that you'd stop reminding me of my injury," The juniors chuckled at his resigned voice and Mitsuru continued, "All in all, we have to prepare ourselves. Shinjiro would be reassigned as an inactive member again, so until he made complete recovery-" Mitsuru looked at Minato in the eyes.

"Minato, can you take over as a temporary Field Leader?" she considered seriously. Before Minato, their Field Leader was Shinjiro. Aside from his rashness, Shinjiro had a cool head on his shoulder. Akihiko was simply a training freak so he didn't care about leading. Junpei was nursing a hero complex so one failure and he's off. Yukari was a long-ranged fighter. Minato –by ignoring the fact that he's a junior and the SEES' newest members- was and is still her best option for a Field Leader position. Minato weighed his options and shrugged, "Anything the Router says." Junpei pouted, "Why don't you give me a chance to be a Field Leader, Mitsuru-senpai?"

" I will," Mitsuru took her rapier from its case and polished it with cedar oil and a soft cloth. "If you understand that being a Field leader means that you bear the responsibility of anything that happens in battle." She stopped for a while, "The next time we go to Tartarus, you can have a feel about being a Fied leader,"

Junpei nodded, his palm were sweaty. Minato scooted closer to him, "Don't worry dude, everything'll be fine. We can start at the first five floors if you want," Junpei wiped his forehead, "Well, thanks man."

"Okay then, is there anything else to talk about, Mitsuru-senpai? We still have to prepare for the exam," Yukari was prepared to stand up. "Shit, exam! I forgot!" Junpei scrambled in his couch and took off quickly. "W-what was that? Don't tell me he's going to study," Yukari was perplexed. Minato smiled at Junpei's retreating back. He was probably off to make some cheats.

* * *

Minato was left alone with Mitsuru in the common room while everyone had left to their rooms. The latter was reading her book quietly, a black-rimmed reading glasses was perched on her nose. Minato leaned on the couch while he sat cross-legged with a classic literature on his lap. "... The next day, I followed Sensei-" Minato read quietly under his breath when Mitsuru took off her reading glasses. "Natsume Souseki?" Mitsuru guessed. Minato looked up and nodded, "Japan's Oscar Wilde," and they left it at that. Mitsuru closed her book first, which prompted Minato to stop his reading.

"Actually, this is something I could only talk about to you as a fellow council member, Minato." Mitsuru sat straighter, her hands folded on her lap. "It's been a few days since Shinjiro is in the care of our hospital. There has been a rather turbulent change following his absence at school." Minato pondered about it, "Then, do you think that something changes because of the Head of Disciplinary Commitee's absence?" Minato uncrossed his legs, "It's true that the school's rules are protected by the Disciplinary Commitee... Do you have something on your mind?"

Mitsuru nodded as she worried her lower lip, "I suspected that bullying has started."

Minato groaned, "Immature, all of them". Mitsuru chuckled at him, "There's no denying in that statement, but I guess this matter can be addressed once we finish the exam. Is that alright?" Minato stood up and flexed his body, stretching his arms out. His joints popped, making Mitsuru wince at the sound. "Well, if it goes south we just have to take care of it, right? Good night, Senpai," he bowed slightly, earning a smile from the Council President and he went up to the stairs, a page from _Kokoro_ in his hands was marked.

He stood on the third stair. Silently, he glanced back at Mitsuru's form who continued to read her book. Minato opened the marked page and put the upper half of the book to cover his mouth. He recited quietly, "Do you know, Minako? There is guilt in loving. And remember too that, in loving, there is something sacred,"

* * *

 **Author Note:**

 **I guess everybody loves Shinji, huh? Thus, the title of this chapter mainly depicts the core of his sacrifice late in the game. I had my plans ready for this fic. It'll be exciting to write and see how my plans would unfold. Thanks for reading. Ah, I nearly forgot. The quote in the end of this chapter is sourced from Kokoro by Natsume Souseki. Kokoro has been ranked #1 in many sites concerning Japanese Novels and I personally likes that quote. Reader's knowledge of Kokoro beforehand is not needed in reading this fic.**


	5. Worldscum

**Author Note: From now onward, I'll post the Author Note in my profile, so as not to interrupt with the story flow :) Happy reading!**

* * *

Chapter 5

Worldscum

Groans of a CPU. Fast typing and unyielding glances hot on her trails. She didn't miss anything, not even a dot. She nodded, a reassuring gesture more to herself than to others. A heart beat later, she started the prompt with a push of a finger. She took a deep breath and found confidence that she cherished and lacked in any other area. Quickly tracing her way to the backdoor she created hours ago in a fake server with the permission of her employer, intense teal eyes scanned through the infinite lines of 1 and 0, trying to find a weakness in an imperfect world that had became a mesh of numbers and algorithm. She smiled. Why didn't she saw it sooner?

Delicate fingers that had simply became an extension of her mind danced along her tune. Firewalling the true server's first layer, Fuuka Yamagishi opened a new window to launch a defensive script she created years ago, ready to intercept the next wave. The sniffer this time was more focused to 'whaling' her employer's communication network. This isn't good.

Her confidence halted. What if she failed? Just by imagining the risk it'll impact to Iwatodai made her shrinking confidence grew smaller. Fuuka bit her lips. With a sigh, she yanked her unruly hair and refocused on her task. There's no time left, if the first line of defense she put around the true server is out, then there's nothing that could possibly stop the threat, at least not immediately. She smiled then, isn't this the only thing where she's not inferior to her relatives?

 _"_ _Fuu-chan, why don't you try this university?This is the one Haruaki-kun graduated from, you know. Well, although the passing bar is too high for Fuu-chan, ne?"_

She found a mistake in the sniffer's actions, finally. He or she made a hole in an otherwise flawless pattern by leaving around a source code they used in the second wave of their 'whaling' eyes shone with child-like curiosity as she implanted a few tracking mechanism trap in the source code.

When a notification resounded a few minutes later from one of her monitors, she smiled in relief. She had thwarted the sniffer away. She cheered in her desk, finding a sense of pride for herself. She closed her eyes as she recalled the same thrill like what she felt as a child when she saw her dad modified electronical equipments.

 _I don't need the whole world to applaud me_

Fuuka contacted one of the safe lines of her employer's intranet. She typed in binary codes as a report to her employer, her brain long used to translate the messy chain of ones and zeros into words.

01001011 01101001 01110010 01101001 01101010 01101111 00100000 01110011 01100001 01101110 00101100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101000 01100001 01100100 00100000 01110100 0110100001110111 01100001 01110010 01110100 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110111 01101000 01100001 01101100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01100001 01110100 01110100 01100101 01101101 01110000 01110100 00100000 01110100 01101111 01100100 01100001 01111001 00101110

* * *

A classmate approached her unguarded back. "Fuuka!" a tanned brunette grinned maliciously along with her friends, seeing clear distress on their prey. Her bully. Yet Fuuka couldn't find it in her to hate them, no matter how worse they treated her. Not when they're practically the only group to talk to her. Yesterday, they dunked her bag in the school's swimming pool, Natsuki's club. She was relieved that she left her laptop at home, even as she clutched her fifth bag that was drenched wet as they said fake, innocuous sorry to her trembling back.

Today, too, everyone avoided her and her attempt to have lunch break together. She sighed ruefully, well, no one wants to deal with that bullied kid, Fuuka presumed. It was on her way to the cafeteria that Natsuki ambushed her. "Y-yes, N-Natsuki-chan?" Fuuka cursed her stuttering voice. If only everything can be done remotely with her laptop, like going to school.

"You see, we wanted to apologize about your bag from yesterday," Natsuki began. _Liar. You don't care about me._

"So can you let us accompany you to Pawlownia? We'll buy your new bag together!" Fuuka sensed danger,

"Well... Miss hacker?" Natsuki whispered quietly. _Don't cross me, your secret's 'still' safe with me._

Fuuka looked around, the cafeteria was buzzing with students but not even one of them noticed or looked at her. No, they noticed what happened. They just refused to acknowledge. What'd happen if bullying happened in one prestigious school like Gekkoukan? Surely no one would believe that. Everyone would've pretended that it didn't happen. Pretend. Pretend. Be oblivious.

 _Someone, please stop this madness._

She refused the beginning of a tear, scolding herself for being so afraid of another human being. She glanced discreetly, looking for yellow armbands of Disciplinary Committee. None. She chased away the sudden disappointment on her throat, rejecting the bitter hope that the same prefect that had ushered Natsuki's group from her side a few days ago would return. He was a senior with a tall built and a scary glare to match, roughly manhandling Natsuki and her friends away from her, giving her a false peace for a few days.

"O-okay, see you later after school, Natsuki-chan," Fuuka encouraged herself to reply, hopefully today won't be too bad.

* * *

They entered the mall. The cold air that hits her cheeks from the air conditioner didn't help the festering on her hammering heart. They had yet to do anything to her and it was a small relief in its own way. They just 'asked' her nicely to carry their shopping bags, that's all. On their way to the Power Records, Fuuka noticed two people from her neighboring class. If she wasn't mistaken, they were Iori and Arisato. The latter was famous for his heartbreaking streaks while his friend was famous for his pranks. What a weird pair. They walked leisurely to the pharmacy.

Fuuka looked behind her, Natsuki and her friends grouped around, laughing loudly in the small store. They won't notice now. She slipped out from the music store.

"Ahh finally! The exam is over!" Iori stretched out as he entered the store with his more aloof companion. " I'm not sure about my grades, bro. But at least I know that I'll ace PE," he snickered while Arisato glanced around the store and nodded to the owner. The owner nodded back acknowledgingly. They moved to the counter isle and inspected the lines of bottles.

"I hope Miki-chan came with us. It sucks stocking up with a dude," he sighed. "Y'know, Minato. I think there's no difference between this green and purple bottles. Let's just stock up everything!" Iori was thinking hard, his brows furrowed together as his eyes squinted to peek inside the bottle. Arisato, the shorter one of the two sighed. He took the bottles from his friend to inspect the label, he seemed oddly familiar with those bottles.

"She went straight to the hospital with Akihiko-senpai. I think I might've seen Mitsuru-senpai with her bike in the crossroad to the hospital, too. I heard that all of Shinjiro-senpai's injury had healed and they went there to check him up. By the way, green's Medicine, purple's Dis-Poison. You need to be familiar with those, Field Leader," he said quietly.

"Ehehe I'm gonna show you how to be a Field Leader tonight!"Their topic was weird, Fuuka decided. Why would ordinary teenagers need Medicine and Dis-Poison? Unless...

Fuuka gasped. She had to stop them!

"I-It's n-not too late to stop n-now!" it would've been an tear-jerking speech if only she didn't stutter too much. The unknown teal-haired girl's words froze their world.

"I-if y-you're depressed you c-can tell me any-anything! W-we could s-stop y-your drug ad-addiction together!" Fuuka cried out courageously. Silence.

Fuuka peeked out from her hiding spot. Iori and Arisato looked at each other.

"... She must be talking about you," the shorter one deadpanned.

"W-what the?! No! She's talking about you!You look like a zombie!" Iori pointed a finger accusingly.

"You look like someone with adrenaline high," Arisato countered without breaking a sweat.

"Hell no!" he roared.

"You've just proved my point,"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Once again, silenced reigned between them. Until a burst of laugh erupted from them.

"Hahahaha y-you look like a zombie, dude," he said as he clutched his aching stomach. His other hand lunged into his friend's shoulder as Minato settled for a small grin. The other customers stared at them, baffled. Fuuka gigled with them.

"Well, this _zombie_ happens to date three girls," if Fuuka didn't know any better, she thought that Arisato was bragging. In monotone.

"Whaat? C'mon, gimme the dirt! I bet Yuka-tan would be jealous" bottles of Medicine and Dis-poison forgotten, he waited for his companion's 'dirt'.

"Not today, let's stock up first." His grin disappeared and his expression slipped into an unaffected facade. Arisato turned to Fuuka, a brow hidden by his fringe she didn't notice before quirked up.

"Who are you?" his voice was a calm neutral. Iori picked up some Medicines and put them into the shopping basket.

"Hmm, I didn't see you much at school, but I think you're from our neighbor class," Iori inputed.

Fuuka nodded abashedly, she wasn't sure how to talk to boys her age. The only male she talked to was Dad.

"...Fuuka Yamagishi," she said quietly.

Surprisingly, Iori thrusted a hand to her, a bright grin accentuated his unfailing enthusiasm. It was very, _too_ different from the malicious grin and mocking laughs she usually received. "Name's Junpei and this-" he snickered. "This zombie's Minato. My swell buddy,"the midnight-haired teen put up a palm in a greeting motion.

She wanted to talk more to them. She wanted to laugh more with this weird pair of friends.

"Fuuka!" came Natsuki's voice outside the pharmacy. Ah, time to return to reality.

"Nice to meet you," Fuuka smiled bitterly.

 _Nice to meet you._

"Oh, that's your friends, right? Nice to meet you too, Fuuka-chan," Junpei saluted at her. "Nice to meet you too," Minato bobbed his head.

"Yeah, they're...Waiting for me," Fuuka swallowed the plea for help in the tip of her tongue. She didn't want to bother anyone. With a smile, she waved at the boys and walked to Natsuki's group. Natsuki quickly deposited all of her purchases in Fuuka's hands.

"Ah, so heavy. Fuuka's my friend so you'll carry them for me, right?" she faux-cheered at Fuuka and not so gently pushed her into the middle of the group. Her friends laughed and they gave their school bags to Fuuka's free hand.

* * *

The nauseating smell of urine and cleaning products attacked Fuuka's nostrils. It was dark and she could barely saw anything in the dim toilet. A large chunk of her hair was pulled harshly, just like how she's used to. They tore her skirt a few minutes ago and was in the middle of tearing her uniform with a switchblade. She didn't notice the teardrops that wouldn't stop from her eyes even as she begged them to leave her alone. Her foremind too focused on the overwhelming shame to notice anything else. They wouldn't disappear. They wouldn't leave. They turned on their phone's flashlights but the small flicker of lights did nothing to relief her in the dark.

"Fuuka-chan, you didn't tell anything about us to your new friends, did you?" the sweet voice called out. Fuuka breathed, too quick to call it normal. The oozing raw panic on her face must've been so amusing that they laughed joyously. The chorus brought instant dizziness to her head as it pounded heavily, each pound brought fresh tears that trickled through her bloodshot eyes. Her heartbeats seemed too loud on her ringing ears, she wanted it to stop.

Yes, that heartbeat should just stop altogether.

"No..." she replied weakly.

"Great! Because if you tell them anything about this-" the only group of people who talked to her in school was now a distant pain and shame. She wanted to get up and give the switchblade to Natsuki. Asking her to end this life.

"-We'll post this photo online and your daddy would be so sad that he'll cry!" her puffy eyes _–since when?_ opened to the dim light, to a disgusting photo of Fuuka Yamagishi. Her tattered uniform was the only thing that clothed her and her lower body skirtless. She must've been deserved to be hurt so badly.

Fuuka Yamagishi, half-naked and crying! It's the bullying season of Gekkoukan High School! Who knew that the hacker so confident in her ability would look like a perfect doormat?

"...Why?" in her ragged breath, she managed to croak out. It seemed to elate Natsuki as she clapped shut her phone.

"Well," Natsuki began to walk away from the toilet. Her friends followed suit.

"Because it's fun," she glanced back and waved dismissively at Fuuka.

They left the switchblade on the ground. Fuuka picked it up even as the rising bile in her throat had threaten her sanity amidst the searing, intensifying pain in the back of her skull.

* * *

 _Is it worth it?_

 _Won't dying be easier?_

 _That way she won't see them anymore._

 _And she could pin the blame on them if she left a dying message!_

 _The switchblade seemed beautiful in the gleam on moonlight from the toilet's window._

 _She wanted to disappear._

* * *

Grinning gleefully, she twisted the blade deeper to her veins.


	6. Right to Die

Chapter 6

Right to Die

Per Mitsuru-senpai's permission, Minato delegated Field Leader's position to Junpei for tonight. She actually limited their exploration only to the first five floors, though. Junpei complained to her and demanded to continue from their latest exploration. Junpei won, surprisingly. With a sigh, Mitsuru-senpai allowed them to continue from the blockade. The teen jumped around like an overexcited monkey, waving his katana and grinning all the way to their walk to Tartarus, boasting under the green-lit night of Dark Hour

"I'm _so_ gonna show you how to beat those Shadows crap, Yuka-tan!" he said cheerfully as he flexed his sword haphazardly.

"Yeah, yeah," Yukari humoured Junpei for once. "We have to take the little kid to amusement park sometimes, huh?" her rather snide comment was ignored promptly as Junpei noticed Minato frowned as he walked to Junpei's left side. Junpei fumbled with his heavy sword as Minato corrected Junpei's sword stance with a quiet but stern efficiency. Sometimes Yukari wondered why he knew a lot of things and how the hell he even know how to fire an arrow and struck the enemy with a heavy katana in time.

A few explorations ago, he swapped his double-handed sword with a bow similar to Yukari's after they spotted a golden blur of Shadow. Minato told them to hide in the intersection wall to the golden Shadow's farther right while he crept towards the Shadow quietly. After they heard a usual groan of a surrounded Shadow, they quickly moved out to encounter it, only to find Minato signaled them into Rush attacks.

Minato hunched his shoulder squarely as he gripped the bow with perfect alignment and let loose an arrow. "Pierce attack won't work!" he told them after the Shadow missed his attack easily and he cancelled the Rush signal. They eyed the golden Shadow warily, whatever it was, it may carry something precious. They can't let it escape. Junpei ran to where Minato's finger pointed, an empty hallway to cut off the Shadow's escape. He had became complacent enough to follow through Minato's order, although he did grumbled about wanting to be a Field Leader from time to time.

His guess was right because the Shadow didn't even try to attack them, it ran with a panicked groan towards Junpei who awaited with his Evoker at ready. "Agi!" the licking flame roasted the Shadow as it yelped helplessly. It quickly disappeared into a black mist as a medal appeared from where the Shadow was defeated. Junpei was quite disappointed at seeing the medal, expecting Yen to flow from the body. He tossed the medal to Minato who pocketed the medal in his trousers.

* * *

They arrived at their malformed school ground. Eerily tall gothic buildings that touched the moon greeted them as their school area transformed one by one, the bended gate gave way to their approaching steps. Different from their first exploration, now they didn't even glance at the transformation. Yukari would've worried for their sanity when they didn't even deny the transformation or be awed by it, but she receded from saying it when she recalled that everyone in SEES was far from normal life, including herself.

She didn't know much about her other teammates, but she was willing to take solace in the fact that most of them were orphans, in the fact that they didn't even have the luxury of a complete family. Yukari snorted, that _whore_ of a-

"-Takeba, do you read me?" Mitsuru-senpai's voice resounded through her earpiece. "Huh? Yes, Senpai. Loud and clear," Yukari responded, her musings forgotten. "Iori, you are to have a feel of being a Field Leader tonight. I'll allow you only to explore five floors after the blockade. And Arisato, although you do delegated your position this time, do not hesitate to give Iori a few pointers along the way. That is all." with a flick, their earpieces went silent.

"Okay, so, Junpei. What have you learn about battle signals?" Minato quickly turned to Junpei. He was all down to business if needed. Junpei sweatdropped, "Err at least I know about Rush and All-Out Attack signals," he counted with his fingers, a contemplating expression rare on his face. Those were the basic signals they used the most. Minato nodded, seemingly satisfied. "You can learn more from hands-on experience. We're not that far from the teleport warp. Five floors should be easy enough,"

"Let's move out, dudes!" Junpei whooped. Yukari sighed as she stretched out her bowstring, getting ready for support fire while Minato leaned in the back of the group to let Junpei lead on his own.

* * *

Four floors of Arqa block proved to be a walk in the park, with most Shadows being weak to Agi and Garu, while Minato filled out the rest. Yukari had to admit that given the opportunity, allowing Junpei to lead for once was a welcome change. At least she's not that irritated at Junpei's nicknames for her anymore. She got used to it, really. Berating him for that nickname was too much a hassle.

"Yeeshh!" Junpei yelled in the front. Seems like another successful attack. Three Laughing Tables weren't laughing anymore. He looked back to his two teammates, burning tables as his background, "Yuka-tan! If you may?" he grinned, getting the hang of leading them. Minato leisurely lifted up his short sword, although his stance suggests that he's no beginner. Yukari loaded three bows at once in her crossbow, nodded,

"This is our chance for an All-Out Attack!"

The blast of eruption accompanied them as they decimated their enemies to the ground.

* * *

"Piece of cake," Minato said as he collected a few Yen that appeared out of nowhere. "You've got a good hang of it," he gave a small smile as he dropped the money in Junpei's hand. "Huh? For me?" Junpei was baffled, mouth watering while Minato raked his midnight-blue hair. "Hmm, not really. That comes with the Field Leader's responsibility, to manage the fund for the operations."

"Ooh! Like when we went to the pharmacy? When we met that weird girl? The money you used for supplies was from Tartarus, too?" Junpei caught on. Minato nodded.

"Which means that it's _not_ for buying new games, Junpei," Yukari warned with both hands on her hips. "Weell~ I can't guarantee that, right?" Junpei ran his grubby hands on the coins. Minato sighed, knowing too well of Junpei's intention. "You don't want Mitsuru-senpai to be furious, right?" That got his attantion and he froze. "No. No way in hell," With a heavy heart, he gave the coins to Minato. Who smiled and shoved it back to Junpei's hands and promptly closed Junpei's fingers into a fist with the money in it. "Keep it. Your rewards,"

"Dude, seriously?" the grin was more pronounced and Yukari couldn't find it in her to be angry at him. She giggled, Junpei was tolerable, if not childish.

They found a rare chest with a golden glow around it after a few turns and fights after that. Hurriedly opened the case, Junpei unlocked it. They found a bold red, sexily adorned battle armor that didn't left much for imagination.

"..."

"..."

"Yuka-tan! Wear this!"

The red mark on Stupei's cheek was more than satisfying.

Maybe not.

* * *

The archer felt the beginning of a fatigue. She was sure that she could handle a few more battles, but the world that seemed to rotate faster in her eyes and the more frequent misses on her shots spoke differently. It's their fifth floor quota, the 21th floor and the last few batch of Shadows in the corner. Junpei who ran around and bashed Shadows whenever he saw them had also started to slow down. Minato seemed fine, although he chewed another Snuff Soul before he casted a weak Zio at the offending Gigas.

The battle was finished before Yukari knew it and she slumped relievedly to the floor. "Should *pant* we go back, man?" their current Field Leader asked around, getting affirmatives from both. "We did finished the five floor quota, so let's go back," Minato said, sweat had started to pool around his back although his demeanor didn't change the slightest. Too tired to voice her curiousness, Yukari picked herself up. "Should we spread out to find the teleport wrap faster?" Yukari asked. The Shadows on this floor weren't that strong and they had defeated most of them, anyway.

Minato seemed to came into the same conclusion as he voiced his agreement. But before they spread out, he stopped them. "Hold on." They formed a circle, Minato shot his Evoker to his temple. With his last stretch of Spirit, he summoned Inugami and casted Media twice. "Better?" he asked as he put his Evoker in its holster. The world stopped spinning for a while and Yukari felt grateful for the small blessing, "Yeah, thanks."

"Alright dudes, let's spread out," Junpei said as he gave the signal. " Err... Is that okay, Mitsuru-senpai?" Junpei asked loudly through his earpiece. The Router's voice came in and they felt the familiar tingle of Penthesilea's presence.

"I don't sense any Shadow in this floor. Affirmative. Spread out and find the teleport warp."

With a nod, they separated and explored the floor. Yukari ran to the left side of the intersection while the boys separated in the next hallway. The fifth floor of their exploration was its usual size from the few floors beneath it and they had defeated most Shadows in this floor, in which Junpei insisted that they have to clear the 'final stage' as he said it . Yukari hoped that the Shadows won't reappear soon like the devil's spawn it was.

" ...!" Yukari heard a gasp from her earpiece.

Confused, she stopped on her track and asked their Router. "What's wrong, Senpai?" Yukari said as she checked around the bloody maze and the weird gigantic mask etched in the wall. Exploring alone made her too aware of the surroundings since she doesn't have to listen to Junpei's rambling or Minato's quiet command.

It made her afraid.

Her heartbeats picked up. The bloodstained wall that didn't bother her when they explored as a group, now seemed like a crawling paranoia. What happened here? Where did the blood came from? Is it human's? Is it Shadow's? Is it Dad's?

The fear gripped her, what if it's Dad's blood? Or did he died here? Did he died as a pawn of Kirijo?

Too many unknowns. Too many reasons to escape.

"Takeba, run!" something akin to panic coloured Mitsuru-senpai's voice. What is there to run from?

"Iori! Arisato! Head out to Takeba's location!"

The bells of a funeral tolled in her head.

"Death is here!"

Jingling chains was the first thing that came into existence. The rising adrenaline festered her trembling body. Blood-soaked cloth sack worn around its head. A single otherworldly eye that carried uncanny power made her froze in the spot.

 **"** **ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE,"** Death brandished its revolvers.

Death pointed its guns to her head.

Like a flash film, Yukari remembered the first time she tried to shoot herself with the Evoker.

The alarms in her head went off. The bells tolled louder.

 _Just like this?_

"Yuka-tan!" something other than the void stillness resounded.

Her teammates appeared behind her "H-Holy shit!" Junpei gaped. Minato, wasting no time, ran ahead and became a barrier between Death and her. With a mighty push, he threw Io's medium to the sideline. One of the jet-black revolvers came into contact with his head and he crashed into the wall with the revolver pinned him into the harsh concrete.

"Arisato! We can't defeat it! Escape!" Mitsuru's concern and panic mixed into their earpieces.

Minato went still, his eyes unfocused for a second.

Junpei helped her to stand up. His forehead dripping with beady sweats, his teeth clenched and his fierce gaze betrayed his unsteady grip on the heavy katana. With a roar, he ran to meet Death itself and struck its arm that pinned Minato down. His best friend slumped down to the floor and Junpei thought that lying weakly on the floor doesn't suit him.

Death fired a round from its revolver and created a gaping hole in the platform above them. It charged and the crackling madness signed their death warranty.

"NO!" Mitsuru shouted.

Death rejoiced. A bright ball of light tinted with a dark mist rose above them.

For a second, Yukari gazed upon it.

Beautiful.

A tired laugh wheezened out, "I can't... Let the same thing happened,"

 _No. Never again._

Minato stood on his full height. His gaze more focused than before and a strange grin pasted in his mouth. Two gems shone within his palm. They knew what those gems were.

 _Even if Death itself wishes their demise._

"W-What are you doing, dude?" Junpei callled out.

"N-No! Don't do it!" Yukari yelled. Her tightening fist tried to summon whatever courage left within her core of being.

" ...Thank you," he looked back to his friends with a grateful smile, the accumulated intent to kill behind him in the form of a ball of light shone darker.

He tossed the gems to his teammates.

They disappeared from this twisted battlefield in a flash.

* * *

Yukari shouldered her practice bow's sheathe, dark rings below her red, bloodshot eyes. She walked out from the classroom as she glanced behind her. His desk was empty. Yukari flicked her gaze to Junpei's empty desk. Junpei had disappeared from the class. She walked ahead and bowed her head down so her short fringe would hide her sleeplessness, avoiding everyone's greetings and turned down the boys that asked her out politely.

Down the stairs and turn left to the empty hallway with a lone tree to the sport club's practice area, she found a familiar figure accompanied by Miki. A wretched sob from the figure surprised her. He didn't seem like a crying type. Hearing his sobs made Yukari's dam of defense broke out. The stinging heat around her eyes that she resisted since she prepared herself for school made its way to the familiar teardrops.

"Dammit! DAMMIT!"

Silence. Yukari closed her mouth with her hands, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

" I *sob* was s'posed to lead them *sob*"

 _Only those who had fought,_

 _Understood what does it meant to lose._

"H-Hey, Miki-chan! D-don't cry, alright? *sob*"

"Don't cry! Aah! Akihiko-senpai will get mad at me,"

Wet scarlet eyes gazed at Yukari. A tear stain marked her notepad. Miki quickly wiped her eyes and smiled ruefully to her. Yukari found her legs walked to the breezy spot and she leaned to the pillar. Junpei's eyes were puffy much like her own. The air was heavy with unspoken regret.

Miki wiped the stain on her notepad with her sleeve collar, the dirt mark became a proof of what ensued between them. She wrote unsteadily and she erased her words repeatedly.

 _"_ _I'm sorry,"_ was formed decently amongst the many erase marks. With more fervor, she wrote again with a smile on her face.

 _"_ _I want to see him,"_

 _"_ _I bet he's waiting in the dorm, maybe he skipped school because he's tired,"_

 _"_ _And then we'll go to the batting center together, just like before,"_

 _"_ _Yukari-senpai should come too,"_

Junpei looked away from Miki's notepad, her sad eyes betrayed the smile etched in her mouth and the words within that notepad. Yukari clutched the notepad in her embrace, "Yeah... We'll go to the batting center later, right Junpei?" She wanted to pretend that last night didn't happen.

"I bet that zombie's sleepin' in his bed," Junpei sniffed. "He scored the first rank, Miki-chan! Man, he's not even here to look at his test score." Junpei grinned weakly, flaunting Junior Ranking's paper to Miki. "Me? I became a laughing stock! But I aced PE, though. If he's here, he'd treat me to Beef Bowl to celebrate my PE score,"

The three sat in silence. A few sobs erupted from Junpei, while Miki rubbed his back to comfort him. The archer looked to the faraway sky, the brightness reminded her of the malevolent light that nearly wiped them out last night.

"... Abandon all hope, ye who enter here," Yukari whispered.

Miki's eyes widen. She quickly snatched her notepad from the ground and wrote quickly. _"Where did you hear that?"_

Yukari pulled up her knees and buried her face in it, "You've heard about our exploration last night, Miki-chan?" Miki nodded with uncertainty, they had censored some information from her due to the secrecy of SEES' operations. But Yukari felt that it wasn't right, because her brother was involved in SEES. She had the right to know everything, because Akihiko-senpai put his life in the line. Just like Dad.

Yukari had the right to know everything, of what happened that day, of what happened to Dad.

No, Miki won't become another Yukari.

"The exploration went awry," she began. Junpei gulped, "Is it okay to tell her?" he looked between Yukari and Miki. Yukari ignored him.

"We were too tired to continue, but we were cocky enough to think that we can spread out to find an escape portal. ...Mitsuru-senpai sensed something more powerful than what we've encountered so far. It wasn't something that Io and I can defeat alone. Hell, it was even more powerful than all of us combined. That being was the one who said those words to me," Yukari closed her eyes and focused to talk it out. It was difficult, not when the fight was still fresh in her mind.

"Minato saved us with Traesto Gems, we won't be here if he didn't toss it to us" the bruise from when her right arm collided with the harsh concrete was nothing. "...The Dark Hour was only three minutes left from over by the time we escaped. We couldn't reach him,"

She gripped her knees tighter. If only Io was stronger, if only she could move her legs faster.

 _"_ _Those words came from The Divine Comedy! I and Chihiro-san read it once"_ Miki wrote out. _"It was written in the entrance to Hell,"_

"Haha... How fitting," Junpei shrugged noncommitally. A confident stride walked towards them and the silver linings of Akihiko's hair turned around the corner. He smiled wearily to them, "It looks like a pile of problems came our way," he said as he moved between them and read Miki's notepad.

"... Hey, shouldn't you ask me to join to the batting center too once we find Minato?" he laughed as he put the notepad on the top of her head. Miki huffed indignantly, _"I won't ask you if you still spoil me rotten,"_ was her answer. Expecting that kind of answer, Akihiko snorted and put an arm over his sister's slender shoulder.

"Sorry, but as I said, more problems came our way." Akihiko told them. "Mitsuru received a call from the Kirijo-run hospital, a second year student was found in a nearby public toilet," He sighed and his grip on Miki's shoulder tightened, "Suicide attempt,"

The juniors gasped and Miki put a palm under Akihiko's hand. "She's on suicide watch for now, but we should go there," he nodded and Miki picked up her notepad from the floor, getting ready to follow him. "What the-! We should try to find Minato first!" Junpei rebelled. Yukari winced at his loud voice. Junpei was the one who felt strongly about what had transpired last night. After all, he had seen Minato tossed their last Traesto Gems to escape. They ran away without him. They ran away to safety without him.

"HE'S MY BEST FRIEND, DAMMIT!"

Akihiko punched the wall, "Do you think that I and Mitsuru weren't worried?! He's our teammates! Of course he's important!" He controlled his irate breathing and said calmly, "Whatever you do, don't do anything rash. Mitsuru had confirmed that this girl may hold something that could lead us to Minato. let's meet at the hospital after school"

* * *

When Yukari was getting ready to go to the hospital from her archery practice, she overheard a pair of girls that were rumored to be in a gang. Even for teasing, that seemed to cross the line. Yukari sighed, not thinking too deeply about it.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

 **So, I lied. Posting Author Notes in my profile seemed too much a hassle. Also, I replayed P3Fes (I still own PS2!) to lessen the plotholes in this fic, browsed Megami tensei's wiki and read walkthroughs about the enemies. Shadows are difficult to write without them. I'll greatly alter the story in canon from this chapter onward, so expect more change from now on. But what's a fanfiction without changes, right? Thanks for reading^^ Review?  
**

 **Then, here's a few pointers about this fic:**

 **· "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here," from Dante Aligheri's The Divine comedy, Canto III, line 9.**

 **· The Reaper in this fic is based on its P3Fes's stats and skills. I heard that The reaper in PQ is harder, is it true? The party was about Level 10 when they reached Arqa Block and faced Death. Minato's level is currently 13-14, enough to summon Inugami with Media. In this fic, The Reaper first casted Mind Charge to itself and then Megidolaon. It was my personal experience, actually. It was a total wipeout.**


	7. Procellarum (Storm)

Chapter 7

Procellarum (Storm)

They found her in a semi-conscious state. The flood from a water tap forgotten to be turned off sluicing red rivers around her veins. The first person to find her quickly pressed his fingers to the source of the pain and Fuuka was conscious enough to scream in pain. The first cut was easy. Too shallow, too fine. The edge of the cut was treaded in dark tints of blood and Fuuka thought that it wasn't enough.

She had to etch a more gruesome scene for Natsuki. Natsuki have to remember this for the rest of her life. So, she cut deeper. She practically ripped the larger vessels buried beneath her vestal, unmarkedly smooth skin. The blade crept without a doubt, snuggled closer under the tougher muscle but the trenches of pain like being plunged into an inferno stopped her. She couldn't handle the pain anymore and threw the blade from her side as she gasped and curled in a burning pain.

"Hey! Are you still conscious? Can you answer me?" faintly, she heard a distant voice. "Okay, your breathing is irregular so you have to calm down first. I've pressed your veins to stop the bleeding but I need your cooperation to not bite off your tongue," Fuuka felt herself nodded as the shame from letting a stranger saw her in this state was overwritten by her guilt to her parents. Fuuka bit back a heave as the searing pain entranced her. The stranger noticed Fuuka's state of half-undress. He took pity on her and undone his expensive-looking coat to cover her.

"Don't worry, I'm a doctor. I'll call the ambulance and carry you to my hospital right now," he pressed a dial and the middle-aged man jumbled out informations that Fuuka's disorganized mind couldn't catch. The man ended his call soon and retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket. The handkerchief acted as a temporary gauze.

Soon, the ear-shattering siren of an ambulance approached them and paramedics filled in the cramped public toilet. White-uniformed men lifted her up into a stretcher while the man who found her first gave instructions for her to breath calmly. The man turned around and picked up a syringe from a small container in the ambulance. He flicked the syringe a few times before he shot Fuuka with it.

And she welcomed oblivion with open arms.

* * *

That Yamagishi kid's empty eyes were the first thing he saw as he rudely scrapped off the door with his leg. It was frightening when you see it in someone usually so breakable. A doctor came to his hospital room a little bit later in the morning, knowing that he's a part of SEES to tell him that a series of test done on the Gekkoukan student they admitted a few days ago had confirmed a sleeping Persona within her. The doctor asked him to visit her as a precognized chance of inducing its presence. He guessed that they didn't even tell her what those tests are for.

Sick bastards, all of them.

The weak presence of a Persona from her was alarming. Someone like him who can't even sense a Persona for the life of him, to be able to see it briefly was a dangerous sign. Weak, but determined. Weird. He saw the unsummoned black mass of a Persona flickered in and out of existence. A shapely mass of a woman hung loosely above her even though the user didn't realize that. The Persona's on edge.

Desperate to protect its Mistress, huh?

The unstable Persona-user grinned. Shinjiro preferred to stand up rather than sitting on the available visitor chair as he crossed his arms. She seemed surprised of his visit and the empty void on her eyes was replaced by something akin to recognition. If the surprise and the implied underline that she didn't expect any visit told anything, no one had visited, apparently. Not even her parents. Hector's calm was unnerving now, after being used to the relentless stress to his psyche.

"You know me, brat?" he bit out rather unwillingly.

Yamagishi quipped lamely like the brat she was and Shinjiro snorted. As if he'll allow this kid to join SEES's frontline. Nope, not a chance.

"Yes, you... were the prefect who saved me back then," she hung her head low, as if expecting to be yelled at. Shinjiro tapped his toes impatiently.

"Spill. Now. Before the Pres herself comes here," he felt like threatening the girl, not so sorry that Mitsuru is already on her way to the hospital. "M-Mitsuru-san?!" he raised a questioning eyebrow at her reaction.

"Please don't tell her that I'm hospitalized! I don't want to be a burden," she said louder, her bloody left hand hidden behind the gauze. "You know what to do," he grumbled out and leaned back as he watched a silent war erupted within the small girl before she came into a decision.

"...Natsuki Moriyama," she said with a whisper. He uncrossed his arms, "Easy, right?" he marked with a mirthless laugh, his duty as a prefect ends here. He heard footsteps in the hospital hallway and knew that his visiting hour is up. Shinjiro walked out from the room.

"Thank you... Aragaki-san," He stared at her unmoving left arm and then looked to Yamagishi's eyes. The void returned.

" 's not a problem," he replied as he briefly wondered if he'd do the same and resort to self-destruction if those three weren't there.

He scoffed. He's not that weak.

* * *

Shinjiro closed the door with gentler force than before. The footsteps stopped and he was met with intense brown eyes, asking without prompted, "Do you get a name?"

He nodded, "Moriyama, prob'ly the same bully like the one I dragged out before. I'll get to it tomorrow" Mitsuru smiled, a hint of malice leaking through the heiress, "Then, let me be the one to carry out the execution. How dare anyone harmed one of my employees." With something resembling a smirk, Mitsuru waved at him and entered Kirijo Group's commissioned hacker's room.

Aki nodded to him "Well, let's wait how Mitsuru deal with this. It's been three days since we visited her. Hopefully she'll agree and we can find Minato faster," he sighed behind Mitsuru and left the hospital wing after she entered the room, letting her to deal with their potential recruit.

Shinjiro was left with Miki.

"...What did you do?" he clenched his ribs clothed beneath the flimsy hospital-issued white gown. Painless.

All he had seen during his fitful sleep was red.

Like blood. Like fire.

Like eyes that clenched shut in suffering.

The girl whose existence had been like a sister as long as he remember tilted her head in concern, a ruined earlobe partially seen through shades of quicksilver. _"Is something wrong? Are you hurt?"_ he narrowed his eyes.

Everything's wrong, everything's a fucked up chains.

Miki moved into his personal space and smiled as she eased his frown with her fingers. Surprisingly, her hands were blemish-free, unlike the rest of her thighs. _"You won't get a girlfriend if you always glare at them, Shinji-san,"_ she wrote as she seemed satisfied with her work. Nodding her consent, she fearlessly stuck a tongue at him before she ran after her brother. Scott-free. Lucky girl.

* * *

She seemed fine, from Mitsuru's eyes. Yamagishi tried in futile to hide the gauze as Mitsuru walked closer with a silver case in her hand. "How are you?" The twelve-years old hacker she met five years ago that successfully broke through Kirijo's database and promptly became Mitsuru's employee was reduced to a trembling mess. Mitsuru sighed, knowing that she probably won't get any answer soon.

"...You've signed the Confidentiality Contract a few years ago when you started to work for Kirijo Group, but this time we're asking for something different," she decided to push the issue. There's no time.

Mitsuru unlocked the silver case. A semi-auto pistol laid beautifully inside.

"You've been unconscious for days. During the time, the staff had done administrative check on you and found that you're my employee. That's how I know you're here, if you're asking," the girl remained silent.

"I'll be short. You knew what SEES are created for. The preliminary check-up for potentials showed nothing before," Mitsuru took out the Evoker and handed it to Fuuka. She stared at it before picked it up reluctantly.

"But now, you've been confirmed with a Persona. A rather... weird one, actually. I'm curious why you who didn't have the potential before was suddenly found with a Persona, although we have yet to determine its appearance" Mitsuru massaged the bridge of her nose as Penthesilea's senses overwhelmed her.

"I'm sorry if this seemed rushed, but we lacked manpower," she couldn't contact Minato through the earpiece anymore. Iori had persisted to explore Tartarus everyday since... Then. Everyday, when the Dark Hour crept, they returned to the 21th floor. Looking for signs, for traces of life. Seeing their weary, tired huffs of breath everyday made her wanted to forgo her Router position and joined them.

For a beat of midnight blue-haired teen that even Penthesilea's senses couldn't reach.

"We were ambushed and one of SEES members is missing till now." She wasn't sure if Yamagishi heard the despair in her voice, "We need all help we could get." She said with a finality as she glanced at her wristwatch, she'd need to prepare her equipments for tonight's search.

"I'll give you more time to think about it."

* * *

As the heiress left, she bowed politely to a figure standing outside the door and walked away after she left the silver case on the sparse coffee table. The gun was close, she could reach it if she wants to. She felt a grin above her, within the proximity of a hair's breadth, slowly guiding her hand towards the case. A drop of blood from the reopened wound made her flinch, but didn't falter. Fuuka looked up to see a hapless woman.

Slit marks covered its arms.

Waiting.

 _Call me._

 _Stay with me._

Fuuka touched her neck, now bloody with the reopened wound from the slitted arm. The silver gun on her other hand.

She have to pull the trigger.

"Yamagishi-san, time for checkup! Today I brought my son-"

" Oh bloody-!" a rush, rising heartbeats, unending blood that rained like a water gate.

"-Kei! Hold her up!" stained Gekkoukan uniform, broken glasses, panicked brown eyes. She didn't resist their hold, letting them put back the gun and stitched the open wound with glazy eyes.

Fuuka had calmed down after the doctor who found her in that public toilet shot another dose of sedative. The woman had disappeared from her line of view. Somehow, she knew that the gun wouldn't harm her. Somehow, she knew that the woman wants her to call it.

Feeling delirious due to the sedative, she glanced skittishly and saw them talked in a hushed tone. They noticed her gaze and the doctor left them alone. A relieved sigh erupted from the boy, whom she knew to be a senior when she saw his tie ribbon. "I'm Keisuke Hiraga, your doctor's son. Ah, no need to talk, I knew your name already" he said as he pulled a chair over. He talked again without being asked, "I usually visit the hospital whenever Photography Club doesn't have a meeting, he wants me to succeed this hospital," the senior said rather grumpily.

He saw the stitched wound he dressed a few minutes ago and moved closer, "Can I see?"

Fuuka was bewildered, the hypersensitive wound too real to be ignored. But only distracted, slow motions she could give in her state. He took Fuuka's silence as a yes and turned her arm, bringing the hideous slit into attention. He touched the paler side of the healing tissue. "You're supposed to not feel the pain right now. My dad had shot another dose of benzodiazepine. Only a small dose, though" he said as he traced the thin line of stitching thread.

He went into a lecture of sedatives, explaining the difference in doses and the effects, even to the sedative effect of chamomile tea and why people felt calmer after each sip. Chamomile tea, of all things. God.

"-So, based on the physiology of human brains, the reason of your... action, stemmed from boredom," he finished with a flourish.

"Huh?" Boredom? It has became a routine of living, right? School, bullying, work, home. Rinse and repeat in a continous circle. It had simply became natural.

"Well, all I say is that you need a hobby!" Keisuke-senpai said with an excited smile. As if it'll cure something that had became a normalcy.

"It won't cure you, but you'll cure yourself," he nodded determinedly. Had everyone suddenly being able to read her?

"It's a start, but you're welcome to the Photography Club once you returned to school," Keisuke coaxed the unwilling girl. To pull her out of that dangerous thought. His visits to the hospital had brought out the mortally hopeless side of humanity. Incurable patients resorted to suicide, unborn babies that died too soon, the jolt of a defibrillator tried in vain to resuscitate a man. No matter how much he learn, no matter how many medicine names he remember, it's useless.

That, he knew.

Keisuke ripped out a paper from his notebook neatly and wrote the direction to the club room. He's not confident in his penmanship, but at least anyone could read his writing with enough willpower and persistence, "You know the sport club area, right?" the unresponsive girl stared at him with confusion.

"If the sport club area turn right from the second year's floor staircase, you go left from the staircase and enter the room in the right side with many pictures on the door. That's our club," he folded the paper in two and gave them to the girl, or at least put it on her sterile blanket. Fuuka sensed an encouraging smile for the woman above her.

"Ah, now that I remember, you're from class 2-E, right?" he pondered, that guy next to her class hasn't showed up after he joined the club. What happened?

"If you know Minato Arisato from 2-F, please tell him that his first shot had developed. He's been absent for days." he waved with a smile and closed the door, leaving the patient to sleep. He didn't notice her rigid posture.

* * *

The next day, Mitsuru returned, bringing a silver-haired senior with her next visit. And a shock of familiar face. "Hi, Fuuka Yamagishi, right?" the senior outstretched a hand and Fuuka shook his with her good arm, the guy behind him sat in the chair, not even bothering to greet anyone. "I'm one of SEES, Akihiko Sanada," he said as he threw an apple to the air with his left hand, purple bruises marred his exposed arms and face, similar to Iori-san.

"Iori...san?" Fuuka called out. His face whipped out to met her. " ...'Sup, fancy to meet you again," he said tiredly. He sighed, "Man, I'm beat. Everyone that knew Minato nagged at me or Yuka-tan about Minato. That guy, making everyone worried. Where the hell is he," he said briskly.

Mitsuru put a basket of fruit on the table, "What did you tell them?" she picked up the knife that came with the basket and skillfully crafted rabbits from Akihiko-senpai's apple.

"Told 'em he's in the hospital outside town. Kaz didn't believe me when I said that he's sick. The guy's probably beaten up into a puddle by him. Ha! Serves him right," he replied as he took a slice of the rabbit in the plate. Mitsuru-san swatted his hand away and he sullenly returned to his chair.

He counted out loud, "Kenji, my bro in the go-home club and that shy girl asked too. Then there's the manager of Kendo Club, Shinjiro-senpai's vice-chief, that French samurai, the Gourmet King, a coupla old bunch from the bookstore, I'm surprised they knew me even tho' we only passed by that bookstore once. Hell, even a little kid asked about him."

The woman above her whispered, things that she wasn't supposed to know, "...What happened to him?" Fuuka found her voice asked.

Akihiko-senpai turned to her, his expression serious, "That's why we're asking you to lend your power to SEES. He's missing,"

"...Will you join us?" the well-seamed words were unheard.

Her thoughts screeched to a halt. In return, a strong, turbulent wave of sights and voices hit her violently. Blue filled her eyes.

 _Yes, let me tell you-_

Misty, endless sea of stars prevented her to grasp forward. Close-eyed, what Fuuka saw wasn't the railings on the hospital bed. Plug-eared, what Fuuka heard wasn't the distinct cries of the wolves of reality. A tower, in the brink of its fall. Screaming at her to flee far away. The shouts frighten her, the circling maze of continuity chuckled at her. Escorting souls of the damned and the brave. The silver gun cocked to her temple. Mortality mocked her. The gun was real. That woman was real.

Delusion is, perhaps, an easy route to insanity.

Fuuka embraced the insanity. The woman's presence within a hair's breadth was calming.

She nodded.

- _My name._

* * *

 **Author Note:**

· **I wanted to experiment how Fuuka joined the art club, in which it'd be Photography Club. And if you cracked the binary code a few chapters ago, you'd find that Fuuka's employer is the Kirijo Group.**

· **Benzodiazepine and chamomile tea are confirmed calming agents and are legally sold. Don't try dangerous stuffs, okay?**

· **I need a Beta *sigh* How's the story flow? Needs advice, badly.**

 **Thanks for reading :)**


	8. Fallen Bloom

Chapter 8

Fallen Bloom

A blue butterfly crossed his field of view, a silent reminiscence of the beginning of his journey. His swimming consciousness started out as a blurry concept, but the more he focused on it, the more things he could see clearly. He craned his neck, a dull thud of weakening pain was another thing that his senses noticed. He was laid in a comfortable sofa.

Minato cradled the back of his head. A coagulated smear of pungent blood was the next thing he saw. Bluish gleam different from the malevolent light hours ago gave warmth in his stomach. He stared in horror as his skin and bones patched itself, he saw his own fingers touched by the warm light and _regrown._

He cried out, "AGHH!"

Pale arms restrained his movement, soothing singing voice returned his mental turmoil into a deep calm. "Shh," Elizabeth gently wiped his forehead, Minato looked up to see a small Pixie flew cheerfully around him. The warm light surrounded Pixie and the Persona started to hum a tuneless, off-beat melody as the light enveloped Minato once again.

"Shredded internal organs, loss of sense in your right leg, a twisted kneecap, a swollen bruise in the back of your head and you lost four fingers," Elizabeth listed off his injuries without her usual innocent zealousness. Minato shuddered. "That was the condition I found you in,"

His hazy memories of the battle slipped out from his fingers like sands as he struggled to remember the bits. A beautiful dark sphere, Yukari's fear-stricken face, Mitsuru's desperation, and Junpei's shout. Minato heard another footsteps approached them, he had never seen Igor so worried. "I'm afraid we have to intervene Death from taking you so soon, my boy."

"...Where am I?" his hoarse voice sounded different to himself.

"In our Velvet Room, of course" Igor chuckled. The Pixie had finished its work and hopped to Elizabeth's finger. "Thank you, little one," as Elizabeth spoke, the Pixie transformed into a card and disappeared into the air. He tried to sit up, and surprisingly he didn't find any difficulty in doing so.

"I'm... Thank you very much," he was rendered speechless, barely managing to express his gratitude. "No, no. It is our duty to assist our dear Guests," Igor's eyes crinkled shut in genuine kindness and Elizabeth pulled him to stand up.

"What prompted you to take such decision, young man? Surely, you knew that you won't survive Death, am I correct?" Igor joined his hands under his nose, a curious smirk at his Guest.

Minato touched the back of his head with his now five-fingered left hand. "...I was... Hit here by Death's revolver and I..." he wavered. That word frighten him.

"... I remember" he swayed forward but Elizabeth was there. "Not much, but at least it's better than being left with no memories at all," Elizabeth put Minato's head on her shoulder, "Don't force yourself. I'm sure your memories will return to you, sooner or later," the Wild Card nodded and Elizabeth trusted Minato enough to stand up.

Minato's gaze wasn't focused on them anymore, "When I thought that I may witness that, I took the decision to let them escape first,"

To spare himself from the scenario.

"...I'm, in a way, selfish. But I don't regret it." He bended down to take Elizabeth's fallen hat in the floor and put it in her awaiting palm. He gazed to the two otherworldy beings, "I would still take the same decision, even if Death itself wishes their demise," and Igor smiled mysteriously.

"You, lonely soul," Igor outstretched his arm and The Fool's card appeared before him.

"Are ready to accept your own faults, although it slumbers deeply inside you, waiting to be found in your journey," at once, the card shone brighter, bringing an unmountable pain to Minato's head.

"You hold this... Unimaginable potentials, hindered only by your self-imposed limitations, although you are currently unaware of it." Igor flicked his fingers and The Fool's card floated to Minato. He accepted the near-transparent card and the headache was gone.

The singing voice intensified and Minato felt his stirring anxiety being put to sleep.

"How long was I out?" he questioned as he scanned the span of the room. He didn't see anyone singing in the room but the song echoed through this limitless space of small universe.

"I don't know, time is a mysterious concept," Elizabeth's eyes found him. Answers filled them, "It can be a week, a month, a year, or a decade. The Denizens of Velvet Room exists without obeying the rift of time," she gestured to the ever-present clock that hung high in the wall. The hands of the clock moved faster than how it'd be in reality.

Minato strained his ears, sadness filled him as the strength of sincerity within the voice healed his soul. A lost time that he can't even remember engulfed him in a fire of no return.

"There was a Guest before you," Elizabeth's veiled tone approached him.

"She was, perhaps, the briefest Guest we had in this Velvet Room. Even though her journey had ended, her voice lived on within this place and Velvet Room, in exchange, granted her wish."

Elizabeth looked up, there was nothingness in the ceiling. Glowing yellow eyes searched, "The answer she found was..."

The aria took on a gentler note. He imagined a smile free from burdens.

"... To stay by her most important person's side,"

A silent, lone tear escaped from his eyes. A weak, powerless orphan replaced the perfect leader. Compromised his absolute self-control with a swipe of nameless regret and Minato wanted nothing but to bury that orphan six-feet beneath the earth. Far away where the Field Leader of SEES won't be able to look at him.

Being weak killed people.

 _"_ _One of us have to die, brother,"_

Being weak killed Minako and his chance to live a normal life.

So, he did what he must do.

He mercilessly erased any trace of his weakness from his face and stopped his tremors. Happy ending doesn't exist. Minako won't return, so is that orphan. Only Minato remained. He walked out from the Room, the Fool card in his pocket glowed.

" ...I chooseth this fate of mine own free will, huh?" Minato whispered before the door closed behind him.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

 **A chapter born out of breakdown and nightmare. I wish Recarm skill really did exist in real life. Thanks for reading.  
**

 **· The skill used to heal Minato is Diarahan. Elizabeth's Pixie is capable of it. Ask those who had fought her in the top of Monad for clarification.**

 **· If you play Cytus, you'd get the hint of this chapter's title.**


	9. Ruined Kingdom

Chapter 9

Ruined Kingdom

With a final flick, Mitsuru cleaned her rapier and flipped a stray fringe, an earpiece equipped. The sensation of earpiece is unfamiliar but so is being in the frontline, having always stayed in the lower lobby as a Router. "Yamagishi, what's the status?" she asked while noticing the effect of Penthesilea's ice. She really was out of practice.

A buzz of an unfamiliar Persona tinged, " My Persona sensed no one except the four of you, Mitsuru-san," Fuuka took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "But it sensed something flickering in and out a floor above you. Let's try that," Mitsuru nodded in amazement. A blind search was what she had managed so far. But that strange Persona was on another level. They had agreed to another search party after Yamagishi joined and held witness to the Persona that heeded her call.

"Dude, that freakin' lanterns are freaky, I tell you no shit," Iori remarked with a roll of his shoulder, his eyes searching. Sometimes Mitsuru found herself perplexed because she can't understand what the other boy was saying. She can't imagine herself swearing for the life of her. The world would end first.

"Is it okay for her to stay in the lobby alone?" Takeba said worriedly, walking behind Akihiko. "Nah, it's not like there's any Shadow in the lobby, didn't you stayed in the lobby alone too, Mitsuru?"

She nodded, "With the lack of members, that's the only solution we can conclude." When was the last time she saw the maze that spread out in this tower? The existence of Tartarus itself was a premonition that the past mistakes of the Kirijo still held an omnipresent sin that persists till now, like a time bomb that wouldn't stop no matter which cable they cut. Like a blood-stained legacy that marked the rise and the low of this name. Her predecessors had abused their power to delete everything that stood in the way, strength that came from trampling on their enemies and use everything.

Two in harmony surpassed one in perfection. Even the words they instilled in her young mind had somehow became a lie that formed the existence of Kirijo Mitsuru. She was never a Mitsuru. She'll always be a Kirijo. Never a harmony, but a perfection. Clarity of such lie has became so clear that it was what fueled their ambition.

Ambition is a fearful thing, and she brought them with her to end this apocalyptic ambition. What'll they do once they found out? No one wanted to be used, after all.

Extracting herself from that tangling reality, Mitsuru told them "Let's move out. Yamagishi, locate the stairs," after hearing an affirmative, they moved out and found a staircase thanks to Yamagishi.

On the last staircase, they heard shattering glass.

* * *

BANG!

A body flinched away from the contact with the nuzzle, taken aback by the blunt force. Shrills of brilliant blue surrounded the maze and with a sap of his Spirit, Pyro Jack heeded his call and replaced Angel from his foremind. A silent command had Pyro Jack grinned as it bared his fangs and let loose. It struck the Change Relic with a hard hit and the difference of strength had the unfortunate Floor Guardian thrashed to the other side of the wall.

It screeched in rage as Minato pulled another shot to his head without pausing. The Evoker gave rise to Jack Frost as it casted Bufu and Minato followed up with a roundhouse kick. Unfortunately, his sword had disappeared somewhere along the way. The arc was avoided by the still-standing Shadow as it prepared a blast of Garula. Giving a disgruntled snort, he changed into Gurr in the nick of time and the harshness of second-tier Garu didn't frazzle him.

As the mask in the wall chipped away at the impact, Minato noticed the Relic's eyes, strange as they were, glowed. His view of the maze was clouded by a strangling mist and with realization, his body felt the beginning of nausea. Poison.

Forgoing the chance to cure himself, Minato continued with Power Slash and the dark-winged skeleton charged relentlessly at the taller foe. "Again!" Minato shouted as he traded his life essence for a stronger hit. The Relic bent down weakly and Minato tasted victory in his hand. But the effect of the poison left him immobilized for a second and he doubled over, a trickle of blood in the corner of his mouth. It won't kill him. Fighting alone after being used to Yukari's healing and Junpei's cover fire was taxing.

The headstart gust of Auto-Tarukaja given by Gurr weaned off. The Persona raised a bladed wing in front of its User like a protective custody. The Relic recovered from the critical hit and Minato was too tired to care. Just when he thought that the Relic was going on offensive, the atmosphere changed and Dia was casted.

He's a second away from screaming bloody murder.

As the cheater's damage repaired while he's not, Minato bit off his last Dis-Poison. His attention on his purplish fingers, cramped and twinged from poison. The sensation was familiar but unwanted. Everything's on standstill and Minato ticked off his options. He didn't know which floor he's in. For all he knows, his physical body could've been still in the same floor while he stayed in the Velvet Room. But seeing that he had arrived in this floor since he left and he's clearly facing a Floor Guardian, he's probably _way_ up than before.

Coming into a decision, he put a dash and ran for the teleport warp. Not too far, the Relic pierced the pillar next to him, hell-bent on destruction. Tartarus was never a charitable host.

In the wider hall, he came to a stop. The Relic blocked his only escape but that's not his plan. Minato delved into what was left of his items. He didn't think that something so insignificant would come into play, either. Well, desperate person doesn't have any option, right?

Gamble requires faith and luck. He only have one of those. Fair is fair.

Spinning with the ball of his feet, he faced the Relic once again. Attack mirror in hand. He threw and bet his gamble upwards, surrounding him in a glinting sphere.

* * *

Fragmented glass reflected jaded light in this ruined battle ground, luminating the pale glow of sickly green as a defeated Shadow's cry echoed through the empty space. A slice of profile looked down at the patches on his feet and reached down. Shimmering cards hidden beneath the piling destruction of his enemy. A piece of glass cut his hand as he picked it up and his blood touched five Coin of Queen cards in his hand.

"Hi," a quarter of silence erupted from the empty area.

"This is the first time we met outside your room," Broken grey eyes found the boy he made contract with on the end of his periphery.

" ...Memories are precious. It held so much power over its owner," the boy smiled sadly at Minato and he skipped, suddenly standing afloat the glass fragments. "Ever since I met you, I've started to remember things. You too, right?" he leaned over Minato's form.

"Why are you here?" Minato questioned, the ghost-like existence chuckled.

"I'm always with you," he tilted his head, dark hair framed ethereal blue eyes. "Your friends are here, searching for you. But that's not what I came for." The boy walked and passed through a pillar.

"Tonight, there is more than one ordeal you have to face. But don't worry, that girl will appear as a favourable ally. I hope we can speak again, good night." The boy said his good bye and disappeared from his vision.

Voices that he's well-accustomed to called out.

"Minato!" rush of bodies clung to him and knocked the air from his lungs. Junpei bear-hugged him.

"Personal space..." he said between his squashed body.

Yukari called out to Io, enveloped him in her usual breeze of Dia.

 _Why hadn't they come to his life sooner?_

* * *

Mitsuru had never been so relieved and she allowed the juniors their space while she and Akihiko watched in the side. The teen looked so disoriented as he glanced in bewilderment, "Why did you return? It's not safe here! That thing could ambush us again,"

Iori replied furiously, "What the heck are you talking about?! You're one to talk!" he was close to punch him when Yukari interrupted, "We searched for weeks! You never return," she clung to her bow like a crutch.

"...Weeks?" he said. That explains it.

"We suspect that the time in Tartarus operates differently than normal time. And seeing your condition, it seems that is indeed the case," Mitsuru came into a realization. "In reality, it has been two weeks since you..." she didn't continue. The closeness of death hung in the air.

"Tartarus changed into our school in the day and it only appeared in the Dark Hour. This is only a theory, but when you're trapped, time may pass differently for you with respect to Tartarus. Even though it's been two weeks for us, perhaps it may have been only a half day tops for you," Akihiko scrunched up the leather in his fists.

"Man, Dark Hour is pretty brutal, we can barely survive an hour. I don't know how you can survive, but then again, I don't really wanna see your corpse," Iori joked, noting Minato's battered uniform.

"...I don't know how, either," Minato said quietly and they exchanged a fistbump. Then, he took a guarded glance to his teammates, seemingly surprised that Mitsuru and Akihiko were there.

"A new Router?" he caught on.

"Yep, turned out that it's the weird girl we met in the pharmacy," Junpei quipped.

"Someone named Fuuka Yamagishi," Yukari filled him in as she handed Minato a new set of earpiece. Akihiko gave him a steel gloves, "Found it in the lower floor. Wanna try?" he nodded and wore the fisted steel. It was lighter than his usual weapon, but anything will do for now.

A weight in his hand reminded Minato, he turned to his teammates.

"Gifts," he held out his hand, the Coin of Queen cards caught the dim light of Tartarus.

"...For us?" the former Router asked, arching her eyebrow. The Field Leader nodded. "Found them in this floor," he said as he gave them a card for each one of them.

"Well, thank you," Mitsuru thanked him in puzzlement and held out the card in front of her chest. The card shone warmly and Penthesilea absorbed the card. The others mimicked her and thanked him. His teammates walked out from the destroyed area, called for him to hurry up.

* * *

A voice called, "...Arisato-san?" Minato nodded acknowledgingly, noticing the new pattern of an unfamiliar Spirit. "Thank God you're okay, I sensed everyone from the lobby," A lantern appeared in front of them, carried in the hand of a black-haired woman wearing a Mayan mask. Her white robe flowed unnaturally. Two black rings adorned her cheeks while her closed eyes showed nothing. Lanterns surrounded her like a gown made of glass.

It would've been normal if only the woman's arms didn't have slit marks.

"Guide them, Ixtab," Fuuka's voice told the woman. The strange presence walked out from them. Lanterns carved a pathway for them. Human-sized, the Persona led them through the maze with the lantern in its hands. Eventually, they reached a teleport warp not far from a big window that let many rays of eery moonlight seeped through. The Persona stood in front of the window and opened its eyes half-liddedly.

Teal eyes similar to its Mistress gazed at them.

The eery moonlight touched the Persona and its thinly veiled body disappeared. "Uuh... What was that?" Yukari voiced from behind Minato, a thick quiver coloured it. Junpei laughed at her, "Dude! Yuka-tan is afraid of a Persona!" to which Yukari glared at him and challenged him to say that he's not afraid. Junpei sweatdropped and admitted lamely that he's a _teeeny_ bit afraid.

The full moon outside the window brought out everyone's attention.

"Whoa! Look at the moon," Junpei exclaimed. They huddled at the window and saw the brightness of the moon. As if you'd burn when you touch it. A strike of realization hit them,

"Full moon! It was full moon when we fought in the train!" Yukari said, Mitsuru quickly pressed the button on her earpiece and contacted their Router.

"Yamagishi! Come in!" a blast of eruption was what she heard first and Minato already moved to prepare the teleport warp.

"Mitsuru-san! Shadows!" flaring panic in Fuuka's voice alerted them.

"Dammit! She's alone in the lobby!" Akihiko cursed.

"No!" Fuuka's voice was cut off.

"Let's hurry!" Yukari pushed them away and ran to the warp. They followed her and a bright light enveloped them.

"H-Hey wait for me!" Junpei scrambled off.

* * *

"Yamagishi!" Mitsuru ran off after they arrived in the lobby. Her bike was totaled and smoked everywhere but that's not the worst. Their Router laid limply in the floor, clutching her stomach in pain. The weak presence of her Persona stood against the big Shadows.

"There's TWO of them?!" Akihiko grunted, losing his cool quickly.

Fuuka coughed, gripping her Evoker tightly. "I'm alright," she wheezed out. She stood up with Yukari's help and they faced the gargantuan Shadows. Ixtab fell into a blue fog as the Shadow's sword beheaded it. A pounding headache attacked Fuuka and she had to rely on the pillar to avoid her collapse.

Even as her thought muddled with ravaging pierce, Ixtab's presence in the back of her mind had returned and brought a sense of relief. It's not over yet. Not when the chance to finally proved herself came in an unbidden way.

Calling out to the piece of her soul, the yawning void opened and Fuuka reached out.

"Ixtab!"

The shock of a barreled gun didn't deter her and the deity spanned out its arms. Lanterns surrounded the area with its glow, footsteps encased her in a circle and she had never felt safer than now. The calm was almost automatic.

The Shadow on the left, the one with a staff and bird-ish features sensed immediate danger. It outstretched its arm and the staff gave rise to a multi-layered rings of light that surrounded both Shadows. Looking through Ixtab's mask, colours danced around her sight and she saw it.

"...I can see..."

"Everyone, prepare for battle!" a commanding voice resounded.

"I can sense these monsters' weakness!"

Her closed eyes opened, a different strength within them.

"Physical attacks would work on the Arcana Emperor!" almost immediately, battle cries exploded. The frontline raised their weapons and knocked off the gigantic body, focused their attack on one of the Shadows first.

"Tarukaja!" shattered glass fragments marked the ascend of Orpheus as it pulled its string and empowered Hermes. It roared with an invigorated shriek and cleaved the Arcana Emperor's left arm. Akihiko and Mitsuru teamed up to take out its legs, a particularly accurate hit broke the sturdier armor while Yukari stood in front of their Router, bow poised in offensive.

"Helenos!" Akihiko fired a shot, blue fragments formed the birth of a silver king. Its left arm moulded like an iron while its right arm held an averted scepter. Full-body armor shielded the Persona and crackling electricity filled the lobby. A crown of thorn embedded into its head.

"Sonic Punch!" Its Master shouted and the Arcana Emperor wobbled, toppling down like a house of cards as Helenos struck it with shocking swiftness.

"Knocked down!" Minato prepared another pull of his Evoker when the Arcana Empress retaliated with a strike on its own. It grazed his hurting arm and the dull pain made him closed his eyes, forced him to bit his lips to avoid the escaping groan. His arm shook with the impact but he couldn't lift it to check the damage. Minato saw most of his teammates focused on the Arcana Emperor, chipping away its armor at a steady rate. The Arcana Emperor was reduced to a kneel on its nonexistent legs and it parried their attack.

They'd win. He can see it.

"Fuuka! Analyze this one!" Minato eyed the Arcana Empress, the cool metal on his arms made him long for his short sword. "Right!" Fuuka concentrated and the lanterns glowed brighter.

Rounding his ways around the lobby, Minato baited the Arcana Empress away from their Router and Yukari. "Watch out!" Io appeared in front of him and deflected the shredding wind directed at him. Arcana Empress glowered at him and he felt unreasonable tremor of fear at the Shadow.

"Evil Touch affected him!" his dread now became a wave of tempestuous surge. The Shadow now replaced by a cruel smile and crookedly smug laugh. Where did he heard them? His memories refused his entry.

"Here!" Yukari shouted, still defending their Router and the taxing distress left him almost immediately. Minato scanned the area to find his teammates in a hurdle of an All Out Attack. Mitsuru yelled execution and the white smoke of intent to slaughter rose. He sensed pride swelled in his chest as the Arcana Emperor disappeared in a dying shudder.

"Arcana Empress is weak against magic attacks!" Fuuka informed him.

He put aside the dread he felt seconds ago and leveled the Evoker to his brow.

"Agilao!"

* * *

When they returned from Tartarus after the Dark hour ended, Miki covered Mr. Chairman's sleeping figure with a blanket in the common room while her brute companion stirred something in the kitchen. The blanket fell off as she ran towards to the missing member and unceremoniously hugged him. Sniffles of muted sobs attracted Shinjiro's attention, who raised a hand in a tired grunt to acknowledge his return. Mr. Chairman took a longer time to wake up from his wooziness. He wore his glasses and surprised to find the Field Leader alive and standing.

Minato gave a small grin at the Chairman and Ikutsuki found himself smiling at the teen.

* * *

Finally rested and fresh but still exhausted, Minato woke up to the summer sunlight. The dull headache left him after they ushered him to sleep, somehow feeling grateful to being alive. He took a deep breath and glanced around the bland room that had started to become familiar to him, rather than his previous room back in Inaba. A knock this early in the morning steered him towards the door.

"Yeah, yeah..." he said weakly. With a turn of the knob, Ikutsuki appeared in front of him.

The chairman chuckled, "Early bird catches the worm," to which he groaned at the lame joke and let the man entered his room. Ikutsuki pulled out a flashlight from his pocket. Minato sat in his study chair and let him checked his retina.

"So, how was Tartarus?" Ikutsuki fussed within his pocket and checked Minato with the various tools.

"Tiring," the teen replied, still exhausted. His grey eyes studied the carpet and the scrap of wood in the table.

"I remember, a bit" he muttered.

Ikutsuki tapped his flashlight to his chin, thinking "Well, memory loss is a very common defense mechanism. Your brain blocked it out for your own sake," he finally replied. Ikutsuki returned his tools to his pocket, "You should get ready, because the summer refused anyone without the springs in their steps," he cackled into a full-blown laugh at Minato's suffering and jotted down his jokes as he left the room.

Minato facepalmed.

* * *

"Moriyama? I expelled her," was Mitsuru's cool reply. The full entourage of SEES members approached the gate, red armbands blazing in the summer sunlight. Injuries that had started to heal yesterday now added with fresh bruises, but mostly attributed to Akihiko and Junpei, while Yukari's hands were callous and rough with bow marks.

"And that pussy teacher" Junpei kicked off a pebble and it hit a stray cat. Fuuka walked slower, "Mr. Ekoda, too?" she hid a gasp with her hand. With a satisfied smile, Mitsuru replied, "Let's just say that I relocated him," Shinjiro sighed, he had seen for himself the wrath of Mitsuru's execution. Nothing's worse than witnessing raw malice on someone usually so rational.

"I'm a simple woman. I'll destroy anyone who harm those under my protection," Mitsuru smiled evilly, and even though the beginning of summer is in the air, the temperature had dropped a bit.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

 **Ixtab is the Goddess of Escourting Soul in Mayan Mythology and Helenos is the brother of Hector in Iliad. Please note that their skills and stats would still be the same as Lucia and Polydeuces. Lucia's Escape Route skill will be renamed into Escourting Soul for Ixtab in respect to its role as a psychopomp. I changed Fuuka's Persona due to the difference of circumstances in this fic and there will be more divergence later on. I kicked Natsuki out from this fic. Some may accept this, some may not. It's up to you. I also edited and reuploaded Chapter 7 and 8.  
**

 **And to dear Guest (because I can't reply to you directly):**

 **As in romance? I haven't think about it yet because it's still a long way to go. I did changed Liz's dialogue, check it out. And thanks for your review :)**


	10. Reaching Out

Chapter 10

Reaching Out

When Minato arrived in his class, surprised gasps greeted him. He managed one awkward smile before Kazushi and Kenji surrounded him.

"Hey, is it true that you're abducted by UFO?"

"He must be spirited away by the ghost!"

"Someone said that he left in a soul-searching adventure,"

"No, dammit. This guy said that Minato left to join the military!"

"Him? This scrawny guy?"

"Or did you eloped with your girlfriend?"

"You traitor! I thought that you're my bro" crocodile tears. Minato sighed. Rumors are scary. Junpei and Yukari followed behind him, taking their respective seats "Seriously, dudes. Give him some space," Junpei smacked Kenji's head and he grinned at Minato.

"Well, it's time for Junpei's Believe it or Don't" Junpei extended his arms, getting the attention of their classmates. He rolled his notebook resembling a microphone and stood up in his desk, making Yukari groan in disbelieve. Minato already put on his headphones and ignore the commotion around his desk.

"Good morning and welcome to Junpei's Special, Believe it or Don't!" A few girls laughed at him.

"There are many strange things in this world, including the disappearance of Minato Arisato, one of the rising stars of Gekkoukan High School and the guy behind why I have yet to receive detention from Ms. T, because I always sleep like a log," the class laughed, they didn't notice someone standing in front of the class's door.

"So, one day, according to a story... Someone saw Minato—"

A dull thud of books that hit the desk disrupted Junpei's story, a furious Ms. Toriumi stood in front of the class and the students scrambled to their desks, "...Sleep like a log, huh," signs of annoyance clear on her face. "You sure can use a correct idiom, Iori,"

"W-wait, wait, Miss Toriumi," Junpei plopped down from his desk hurriedly.

"I'm expecting you after school so I can drill more idioms in your empty head," she gritted out with a snide smile.

"...My deepest condolence," Minato whispered to Junpei but he only replied with a sad pout.

Ms. Toriumi noticed Minato's attendance, "Ah, good to have you back, Arisato. I received your sick leave from the Student Council. Now, class, let's begin."

* * *

Fuuka sat on her chair, keeping her head low and covered her arms with long-sleeved turtleneck. Buzz of talkings surrounded her.

"Wow, Ekoda got kicked out from Gekkoukan!" a pair of girls talked loudly.

"Good for us, but it's kinda surprising that Moriyama also got caught up," her friend replied.

"What did ya' think?" a boy next to her joined the conversation.

"I don't know, sexual harassment, maybe?" they laughed at the mention.

"Yea, I can totally see that from his face! And about Moriyama, it seems like she joined a bad crowd. It's better if people like them doesn't exist," the group turned their attention to Fuuka. "Hey, Yamagishi, you know something? You were with Moriyama's group, right?" they waited eagerly and Fuuka shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

The door opened, revealing Shinjiro. Disciplinary Committee armband worn in his left sleeve. The juniors froze upon his arrival and he snorted noncommitally. He found Fuuka and signaled for her to follow him outside. Fuuka yelped but followed him soon.

"Dude, Shinjiro-senpai is scary," the boy said quietly.

"You wouldn't want to have a problem with him," a gossiping girl replied.

Outside the class, they talked. "Y-yes, Aragaki-san?" Fuuka asked lamely, ashamed of her quiver. The senior sighed, seemingly used to such reaction. "They're prepping up your room, your parents okay with your move?" he asked quickly.

"Oh, it's alright. Being in a dorm is better," she played with her pinkies and Shinjiro noticed the nervous gesture.

"You haven't tell them, did ya," he correctly guessed.

Fuuka looked away, "It's alright, really. They won't notice, anyway,"

"Tch, I don't care about your shits. But tie your own loose ends," he warned the small girl and walked off.

"Um, can I..." Fuuka's voice bellowed through the hallway. "...Can I call you Shinjiro-san?"

He replied with a shrug.

* * *

Minato was the last person to leave the classroom, after he got Junpei a book of idiom he lent from Chihiro. "I don't know dude, books doesn't agree with me. But thanks anyway," Junpei said as he stayed in the classroom against the boy's will. Ms. Toriumi eyed Junpei's so-called 'saviour' like a hawk from the podium and told him to leave. Poor guy.

He met Bebe when he pushed open the door of his class, tired and sleepy. He wished he could modify his desk into a pillow. But seeing flowers and glitters literally sparkled around the French boy, Minato put a hand in front of Bebe's face.

"Tired, wanna sleep," he said shortly. Bebe made a confused frown, as if losing in translation. But then he smiled, an idea forming in his head. "You can sleep in ze sewing room! Ze breeze eez good." The exchange student nodded fervently, fanning himself while Minato was ready to lean his head on the door.

The idea sounds appealing. And Bebe didn't make a lot of noise when he sew. Minato was going to agree when his eyes found Mitsuru and Shinjiro appeared from the 3rd Year floor's staircase. Oh, council day. He sighed. Maybe no rest today, too. He propelled himself against the wall, glancing at the red-haired President and the prefect, getting ready to follow them into the Student Council Room.

Mitsuru regarded him in a disapproving way, even Shinjiro clicked his tongue at him. Does he really look that tired? "You're exhausted, Arisato. I excuse you from the meeting," said the President with a rare mercy. Shinjiro stared down at Bebe, while Bebe strangely didn't seem to be intimidated. He even smiled at the prefect.

Minato clapped for Bebe's bravery inwardly. Outward appearance-wise, nobody would believe that the guy had it in him. No one had managed that far. "Fuck off, dumbasses. Don't come today," the two entered the council room and left their juniors in the hallway. For all he knew, that's his senior's way to say "Take it easy".

And here he thought that Shinjiro and kindness didn't belong to the same sentence.

"..." Minato stared at Bebe. He came into a realization.

Come to think of it, Bebe did came from a foreign country. Alone. On exchange program. And he even returned Bunkichi's wallet the first time Minato saw him. A lesser man would've stole it and nobody would know or care. The whole school mocked him as a sissy, but he may be smarter than what they think...

"Minato-sama? Ooiii," Bebe called out to him. His fan hit Minato's head repeatedly. The third hit did the trick and Bebe laughed at Minato's scowl. It doesn't hurt, though.

They walked to the Home Ec Room. "You know Shinjiro-san?" Minato decided to ask.

Surprisingly, Bebe nodded happily. "Oui! Shinjiro-sama eez one of ze kindest person I 'ave ever met, he eez actually ze one who gave me ze correct direction to Gekkoukan! Yasashii,"

Correct... direction?

"Ah, gomen ne, I was testing you when I asked 'ow to bid farewell in Nihongo- Japanese," Minato was reminded of how the foreigner asked him about such simple greeting. It was weird how someone partially fluent enough to carry on a conversation didn't know about that.

"...I was relieved when Minato-sama answered 'onestly," Bebe hid a portion of his face behind his fan, "I know I look like a stupid gaijin, Minato-sama, but I' 'ave been studying Japanese before I came 'ere." he looked sad. "But, zere are still kind person like you and Shinjiro-sama 'ere," Bebe seated himself in front of the sewing machine. Minato sighed. Japan.

He sat directly opposite of Bebe, propping his chin on the cool desk. So sleepy... "Maa, I guess that's how Japanese people generally treats foreigner,"

He switched to English. "Because we're not English-speaking country, not many can speak English," his tongue didn't agree with the 'L' pronunciation and he slurred. The accent was off and funny in his ears, even Bebe was suppressing himself from laughing out loud.

"See?" he pointed out. Bebe finally calmed down enough to nod.

"Also, Japan isolated itself years ago. On the bright side, you can see the result of that movement in the current development and life-style. But the downturn is that it's still difficult to accept foreigner. Most of them would just stare at you or avoid you when you ask them or point at your hair," as he said that, Bebe fingered a strand of his blonde hair and tilted his neck. "But maybe you've met some who pranks,"

Bebe was put out, "So different in France," he said and continued to sew. Minato just observed him, "You won't pester me to help you sew, right?" he asked.

Now it's Bebe's turn to sigh, "Iie, iie. You broke down ze sewing machine ze last day you're 'ere. You are 'opeless, Minato-sama," the machine worked, sending easy comfort of constancy.

* * *

Waking up is difficult. Minato felt his stiff back protested with his movement and stretched out. That was painful. His unfocused eyes zooming in on Bebe's patchwork, half-finished. Sunset dawned upon the windows, casting its glow around the room and brought forth the warm breeze of summer. Nigi Mitama stirred peacefully within his sea of soul.

"Hmm, I still zink zat something eez missing, but our work today eez finished! Owari," Bebe said as he inspected his work. "Ah, you 'ave woken up, Minato-sama. You zlept zo deeply I didn't dare to wake you up," Now Bebe seems excited, something must be up.

"Let's go to ze Sweet Shop!" he was so exicted that he threw his fan across the room and knocked down a mannequin. Bebe gasped and ran off to put the mannequin in standing position.

Junpei would've say "Hoome run!"

Minato cringed, "...Now?" he didn't really liked the sweet-smelling air that permeated there.

"Oui!" said Bebe who busily reattached the mannequin's left arm. The mannequin's eery eyes stared back at Minato. He sweatdropped.

"Zis eez my first time going to a snack shop in Japan, will you go wiz me?" Bebe asked hopefully. Minato scratched his cheek, unsure, "I don't really like the smell."

Bebe's face fallen. That manipulative bastard.

Minato groaned, "Fine, okay. Don't make that kind of face to me. You have to experience anything you can while you're here, I guess. But there's nothing to teach," Minato rose from the stool and tidy up his bag.

"Yatta!" that fake sad face disappeared in a second and the exchange student hurried up to leave the school.

* * *

When they arrived in the Iwatodai Strip Mall, they met a small girl. Maiko shouted at Minato and ran up to him, hugging his leg in the process. She stared at the blonde next to Minato's side curiously, braided ponytails tied together cutely. A store owner chuckled at the ruckus and Mitsuko who swept in front of her store smiled and waved at them. The owner of Hagakure Ramen came from the second floor carrying trash, he slapped Minato's shoulder heartily and after a few words he left to take out the trash.

"Minato nii-saaann," the small girl took Minato by the hand and dragged him to the store she stood in front of. Bebe watched with astonishment. Minato talked with an easy acquaintanceship with the store owner, handed her a few hundred Yen and got three boxes. They sat in the bench directly in front of the store, Minato gave him a box.

"Takoyaki," he said quietly to Bebe as he gave it.

"I miss you! Where did you go?" said the small girl as her cheeks puffed out with the ball-shaped snack. Bebe imitated her movement and tried a bite.

...T-This is heavenly! Japan is the best!

Minato gave his reply, "I was in a hospital outside the town," he said as he scooped a mouthful, hot cloud of air smoked out from his mouth like a dragon and the girl laughed at him. Soon, Minato finished first with breakneck speed and he stood up to introduce them to each other.

"Bebe, Maiko. Maiko, Bebe" Minato introduced them shortly.

"Konnichiwa, 'ello Maiko-chan," Bebe outstretched his hand.

"Wow, you can speak in Japanese!" Maiko stood up and bow at him, "I'm Oohashi Maiko, nice to meet you!"

They talked a bit and Minato said his farewell to Maiko, patting her head twice that made the small girl blushed. Of course, with a promise to meet later in the park next to Naganaki Shrine. He guided Bebe to the Sweet Shop, treading the rusty flight of stairs that creaked with each steps and tasting a few delicacies, being surprised to find that Bebe knew more than half of the sweets' names.

"zank you for bringing me 'ere, even though you didn't 'ave to, Minato-sama" Bebe smiled genuinely. "I 'ave an aunt who supported me to come 'ere, I 'ave to tell 'er zat I 'ave a wonderful tomodachi!" Gratefulness sparked within his eyes.

"I wiz I could do zomething to repay you," Bebe's eyebrows scrunched up, furrowed while he was thinking.

Minato already had something in his mind, "Hmm... Teach me French, then," he said as he crossed his arms.

"Hai! Good idea," his face took an amused expression and Bebe ran downstair. "Let's get you French books!" Bebe's voice resounded from downstair and Minato followed suit.

* * *

When Minato pushed open the door, Bebe was talking with Bunkichi and Mitsuko with a set of polite bows and graceful words, the elderly figures seemed interested in the foreigner. Miki peeked around the corner, dusting the shelves with a cloth covered her nose and mouth. Her eyes crinkled shut in resemblance of a smile and Minato waved at her. She left her hiding spot in a second.

"Minato-chan, you came today! We haven't seen you so long, we asked about you to your friend with goatee," Oh, Junpei then. Mitsuko turned to Bebe, gesturing towards Miki.

"Bebe-chan, this is Miki-chan, she works part-time here since today," Mitsuko said with clear joviality. Well, Miki had 'said' that she worked part-time since today when they had breakfast, anyway. What's surprising was that Akihiko actually supported her.

Miki bowed at Bebe. "Uwah, I meet a lot of people today," Bebe seemed happy that people talked to him. Miki shook his hand and motioned to her throat. Bebe understood the universal gesture of speech problem and nodded with easy dismissal. Miki searched her bag and found her usual notebook. _"Nice to meet you, Bebe-senpai,"_ Miki wrote in hiragana, to which Bebe reads slowly, missing a few spelling and Minato had to read it for him.

"Ooh, that's how you read it, ne. Hajimemashite, Miki-chan," Bebe fanned himself, embarassed of his lack of practice. Bunkichi laughed, "This is surprising, you all go to the same school! So what do you need today?"

Bebe mentioned a few books in French, including practice books and a dictionary. "Huh? What books? Do we have those books, dear?" Bunkichi seemed forgetful and his old eyes weren't helping. Everyone eventually decided to spread out and ventured the high shelves. With their luck, they only found three books in French.

"The Little Prince!" Bebe exclaimed happily, the old book had collected dusts by the time they found it and he wiped the cover with his handkerchief. A young blonde child appeared in the cover, standing in a sphere-like object.

Minato mused, "He looked like you," and everyone chuckled, in which Bebe said that everyone is either blonde or redhead back home.

The softening crease at the corners of Minato's eyes accompanied the genial laughters in a peaceful afternoon, like a trick of time that won't return. A tremble within his soul, so different from the fear and survival he had became accustomed to. He felt detached from the outside world, as if Tartarus and Dark Hour doesn't exist. As if he could live without the weights of his responsibility. As if he could create a wall of illusion that these people, whom he created false connections with, had started to become truly important to him.

Since when do these people had started to become more precious to him?

* * *

"I really enjoy myself today, Minato-sama" Bebe said as they exited the bookstore, Miki stayed a bit later to help closing the store. Minato put the books they found in his bag, intended to study for later.

"Yeah, thank you too, I guess. I'll study these later," Minato looked up, a sea gull flew above them.

Bebe opened The Little Prince book he had in his hands, scanned the pages quickly with his eyes and marked a page by folding a small part of the sheet. He gave it to Minato.

"When you can read French, read zis book too, okay?" Bebe said as he bid his goodbye and ran to the Iwatodai Station.

"Go 'ome safely, my tomodachi!" Bebe yelled as he waved enthusiastically before he disappeared in the sea of people.

Minato stood there, unmoving.

Friend. The word seemed heavier now that he realized it could compromise his self-dependency.

* * *

 _"He was only a fox, like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique to me in all the world."_

* * *

"Hey bro!" Junpei said as he carried a few boxes and disappeared upstair. Akihiko also seemed busy counting the boxes while Yukari and Mitsuru weren't in the common room and it's normal for Shinjiro to go out at this time. Minato put his heavier bag in the sofa and pulled up his sleeves, getting ready to help Junpei.

"Carry these to the third floor, the girls are preparing Fuuka's room." Akihiko instructed and Minato hefted the boxes, wobbled a bit but didn't complain.

"Oh, did you see Miki?" Akihiko asked behind him.

"Yes, in the used bookstore" Minato replied and he sensed worry oozed out from the Golden Boy.

A sigh. "Shinji was right, I've started to become too protective of her,"

"...Is that why you agreed to let her work part-time alone?" Minato pointed out and he got a nod from Akihiko. "Partially yes, but it's her own request... Sometimes I don't know what she's thinking,"

Minato rolled his eyes, "You can't expect to know everything, even I didn't know what my own twin was thinking,"

Akihiko was startled, that's unexpected, "Ah, yes... I-I'm sorry, about your twin,"

Minato already walked to the stairs, "...Well, maybe you'll like her if you ever met Minako. She was a bit wild, but you can't help but to like her. I guarantee that." He chuckled, it's a possibility.

Minato arrived in the third floor, with Yukari and Mitsuru clustered around the door, strictly prohibiting them too see the interior of the room. Junpei's sweaty form doubled over in the hallway. Minato dropped the last of the boxes and the girls thanked them. "Man, the stairs are evil. EVIL," Junpei moved to sat in front of the vending machine, leaning his cheeks to the cool glass and sighed in bliss. Minato sat next to him in the floor and stretched out his legs.

"Good thing Tartarus makes us walk all the way, huh" Junpei snorted comically at Minato's words and dug his pocket, the cring-crang of coins in his hands as he inserted them to the vending machine. "Which one do you want?" Junpei asked. Wow, that's rare.

Minato looked at him, amused, "You're buying me a drink?"

"Nah, just think of it as your reward for surviving Tartarus,"

"I survived Tartarus for two weeks and all I get is a drink? Junpei, seriously?" Minato mimicked Junpei's talk. The goatee laughed, "Take it or leave it, dude,"

They decided on two cans of Cielo Mist and they tossed,

"Welcome back... Leader,"

* * *

A faint wave of otherwordly power touched his room. His curtains opened suddenly, bringing warm but damp air to his hair and he shivered. Minato opened his eyes to a creak on the edge of his bed. A prisoner sat there, coldly human but vastly different. His returning strength crept up to his veins and he regarded the boy silently. The boy stood, his feet didn't touch the ground and smiled at him.

"You've conquered your enemies again," the nameless being touched Minato's cheeks with cold, superficially human hands.

"Something has changed, but how... Peculiar it is, the origin of your power and the potential it awakens to. What is the origin of such power?" Minato sat up, his back supported by the pillows. "Isn't it because of the contract?"

The being laughed quietly, "I don't know. I don't remember. Just like you. I don't understand how similar we are sometimes," the hands moved, outstretched in front of him.

"I'm very curious about you, and maybe... I can recover my memories, together with you," Minato shook the being's hand and the detached feeling returned, stronger than ever. The Dark Hour accentuated the being's eyes, clarity seemed vague and far-fetched. By the time he knew it, his breathing laboured and the painful pang in his head made him clutched his head. With a silent scream, pale-coloured cards appeared and became a barrier between them.

"...You reject me again, even though it'll be easier for you to accept me," the boy said forlornly, his figure had started to disappear.

"I am... Pharos, that's the name I decided upon." The aching twinge disappeared and a gist of familiar loneliness etched in Pharos's eyes.

"I will stay with you, because that's the only thing I can do," Pharos nodded cheerfully and smiled at Minato.

Before his form disappeared along with the Dark Hour.

* * *

 **Author Note: A breather chapter, I enjoyed writing about Bebe. He seemed like a sissy in-game but when I think about it, being an exchange student in a country so very different than yours is difficult. I know that feeling. The Little Prince is a book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, although I neither own the copy nor I can speak French. I love literatures and old books.** **Well, I know that I'm a boring person, hehe.**

 **The story is about a pilot who crashed into an asteroid and met a little boy called Prince in a sahara where only Prince and his rose lived. He and the pilot traveled through many asteroids in concise with human nature but eventually he wanted to return to his rose and let himself bitten by a snake. The fox they met in one of the asteroids taught them that by being friends, they've became unique to each other.**

 **So... what I want to say is that a friend is a unique part of your soul, keeping it intact and sane without being detached from the world.  
**

 **Thanks for reading :)**


	11. Seeds

Chapter 11

Seeds

Chihiro's glasses bore into the math books, the umpteenth tired sigh from her accompanied Minato as he tore through his own books. Bebe's practice books laid out in front of him, the first half done and complete.

"I wonder how I got into Treasurer position..." Chihiro said dejectedly, a big F on her test paper marked her failure on the subject and she has to take remedial test to made up for it. Thus the reason why she spent hours on her most hated lesson. Minato hummed, still focusing on the harder sentence and compulsively bit his fingers.

"I never asked to be a Treasurer, suddenly Kirijo-senpai appeared in my class and took me to the Council Room," surprised, Minato finally averted his fixation on the book to her and said with a hint of smile, "Same here."

"Really? B-but if I refused Kirijo-senpai's invitation, we might've never met, right?" she smiled timidly. Minato gave an exasperated smile to her and took her pencil, circling the wrong answers with a renewed focus and told Chihiro to redo it.

They finished Chihiro's work shortly and she wearily took off her glasses, blinking at the light. Without the glasses, clear brown eyes looked up at him. The students in front of their desk stunned into silence.

"Thank you for the help, Minato-san. I won't get this over quickly without your assistance," a very mature-looking Chihiro set her glasses on the desk. "Umm... I-If you want, can we go to the Chagall Cafe? I-I want to repay you," Gently, she picked up their books, slipping a few stray hair behind her ears, red-faced with embarassment.

"...Sure, I'll wait outside," Minato took her bag along with his own, ignoring her protest that she can carry it alone. Chihiro huffed but eventually she left the table and put their books in the correct shelves, very accustomed to the area.

"Dude, she's cute. Your girlfriend?" the boy in front of them asked shamelessly, his girlfriend made a well-placed stomp on his foot that sent him into a yelping mess, alerting the entire students in the library.

"Augh! Watch it, Miho!" the boy made a pained face.

The girl, Miho, scowled at him, "You're lucky I'm targeting your foot," with that, she left them angrily, the boy struggled to keep up with his girlfriend. Everyone snickered quietly in time with Chihiro's reappearance from the shelves.

"Did I... miss something?"

* * *

With a jovial chime, the bells on top of the cafe's door rang, noting the waitresses of their patrons. Earthy, invigorating scent of roasted coffee wafted through the familiar atmosphere of Chagall Cafe. All sorts of business played out in the cafe as far as Minato's eyes scanned the crowd. Couples flirting within their own bubbles while the more serious adults carried out their conversations in quiet tones reservedly. Several people came alone, taking advantage of the cafe's free wifi, sipping their drinks while browsing the internet.

"Miki-chan!" Chihiro called, running and hugging her friend who dressed like a waitress, losing her initial shy demeanor. Minato didin't find it in him the much-needed understanding of how girls would run at each other and hug. Maybe it's a girl thing, huh?

Minato scratched his cheek and sighed. "You work here, Miki?" Minato approached them, Chihiro noticed him and nodded shyly. "Miki-chan t-told me that she works h-here and in the used bookstore, s-so I want to v-visit her,"

Miki grinned and elbowed the Treasurer, scribbling at her notes, _"Making excuse for a date?"_

Not even the word 'red' can explain Chihiro's face right now. She spluttered, "I-I'm not! I just w-want to r-repay him and v-visit you!" Yeah, as if anyone can believe that. Minato suppressed a laugh at Chihiro's panic, disguising it as a cough.

"Y-You're laughing at me, M-Minato-san! I can't believe you," a pout on Chihiro's face made Miki's eyes shone with mischief.

 _"_ _C'mooon, give me the dirt!"_ and it looks like she spent too much time with Junpei. Poor girl.

Chihiro's panic escalated and she covered Miki's mouth with both her hands, seemingly forgotten about her friend's condition. As retaliation, the silverette tickled Chihiro's stomach, erupting panic-induced giggles. Minato laughed quietly as he separated the two and Chihiro sent a rare glare at Miki's direction. Miki returned to her waitress self.

Miki bowed at the cafe's patrons, the modified waitress uniform concealed her thighs and neck, covering the burnt scars completely. Her gloved hands clasped the menu in one hand while her other hand motioned to the empty table in the terrace. Once her patrons were seated, she gave them the menu.

She made small sounds, trying to talk. What came out was unintelligible murmur and she sighed before giving up. She instead wrote on her notebook as usual and they waited patiently.

 _"_ _What'll you have today? Our special is the famed Pheromone Coffee and Chocolate Slush with Fortune Cookie as a side-dish!"_ Miki smiled proudly as she showed the loopy, beautiful writings they don't usually see. She even doodled the supposed Fortune Cookie with drinks served in porcelain glass.

They ordered the specials and Miki skipped to the cafe's kitchen. They settled into companionable silence and Miki served their orders a little bit later, with an encouraging wink to Chihiro's direction that the Treasurer ignored promptly.

"...Miki is hardworking, right?" Chihiro said and Minato inclined his head, enough to see Miki led a male patron to a nearby table, got scolded by him when she didn't talk and let out a murmur. Miki bowed repeatedly at the man's stressed-out face, silver strands tousled with her motions. The man paused, realized something and Miki pointed at her notebook. Whatever she wrote, she bowed again after that, leaving the man perplexed but he eventually bowed down in apology and sat on his chair.

Minato let out a breath he's been holding unconsciously.

"I'm grateful that I studied harder to come to this school, Minato-san" Chihiro smiled, reminiscing. "She saw a bookish girl hiding in the corner of the library... Just sitting there like a dust while filling out the form to be a library committee... Everyone knows that she's the famous boxing captain's half-mute little sister and they fawned on her." Chihiro's voice carried a hint of fondness.

"...But then I met you and Miki..."

"The moment she squirmed into the narrow corner to sit beside me, I know Miki is going to be my best friend," Chihiro's gentle voice carried by the wind as Minato listened, his silence encouraged Chihiro. "True, she did have speech problem. But you won't mind it that much if you walk right next to her. You'd never believe that she was a survivor of a fire,"

"Before we started to be friends, I once wondered if I was in her shoes, with a half-burnt body... I would've refused to go out again and cry in my room." Chihiro laughed morosely.

"S-So... I-I wouldn't have the courage to talk to anyone and even sit on the same table with a male if I d-didn't met you and Miki." Chihiro blushed. She sipped on her chocolate slush and held the mug in front of her chest.

"I want to improve myself along with you and Miki, then maybe... Even someone as useless as me can help you too"

She caught Minato's guarded eyes and said sincerely. "Y-You're a good person, Minato-san. I can tell. You approached someone undeserving like me, even though I used to reject your invitations at first. E-ever since you returned from your sick leave, I-I noticed t-that you seemed more... distracted, Minato-san. S-So if there's anything I can help with... If you and Miki-chan have any trouble, just... tell me, okay?" she said quietly, almost too quiet to hear.

Chihiro smiled, "...Just like how you and Miki-chan did for me,"

She seemed to realize the implication of her words and flushed beet red, an embarassed laugh from her lips. She quickly dipped her head downward, unaware of a sad smile on the verge of giving up on Minato's lips. There are simply too many things at stake and risking one outsider to _know_ is unthinkable.

If Dark Hour doesn't exist, if he didn't lost his memories, if he didn't have the power of a Wild Card...

It was an unnerving but not an unwelcome thought to let himself relax in front of this girl. Chihiro was a vortex of hidden confidence and peaceful strength, while he was a Shadow slaughterer. He would never felt worthy enough for her purity. He still didn't.

He was still grateful, though. For the friends he connected with in this city. For the care they showed openly. He won't question his heart how far he could go to keep it this way.

He finished his drink and stood up. Minato smiled, earning a deceptively embarassed blush from the Lady Justice.

"Let's go back,"

* * *

Minato had just closed the dorm's front door when Elizabeth called, earning him questioning look from Fuuka and Mitsuru in the common room. He excused himself to the empty kitchenette, out from their earshot and started the coffee machine.

"Yes, Elizabeth?" he said as he cradled the phone in one shoulder and poured coffee beans in the machine. The hum of the machine and the smell of roasted coffee relaxed him and he sat in the stool.

"Hi, long time no see," Elizabeth's voice tinted with a smile.

"...Thank you, from before," Minato added, looking at his complete fingers and examined his good kneecaps. Not even any reminder of the battle was shown in his body. He really didn't expect to came out alive, after all.

"Please, don't mention it. We merely did what you did for your teammates. You intervened Death from taking them, it was an equal exchange," the moment Elizabeth said it, silence reigned.

Was Death really an equal exchange?

The ominous prisoner that foreboded his adversary had decided on a name, an identity that gave way to to an exchange Minato was impossible to be unaware of. With a simple handshake, the wails of the monstrosity that destroyed Orpheus's shell ravaged his thin wall of consciousness. Begging, raging, and whispering to be let out. Pure malice that had him clutching his head like a deranged child. The pinnacle of power within the boy caught Minato in an unending bloody call. For shattered seconds of insanity and the wish to destroy everything, the cards that separated them were what returned him to the world of living.

"I shall let you know that overthinking about it won't bring you anywhere," came Elizabeth's amused voice and the coffee machine beeped. Minato was thankful for the intended distraction and set the coffee cup below the dispenser.

"On to business. I"m calling to inform you of a change in Tartarus. I believe that a path that was blocked before is now unobstructed."

"...I wish you a safe journey,"

* * *

Minato lowered his phone, his hazy grey eyes unfocused as he auto-piloted to the common room, bringing his coffee over and sat opposite the future Head of Kirijo Group and her employee. Mitsuru examined his figure and found only tiredness resided within. She lowered her book and refocused her eyes on Fuuka's works, the usually timid girl now replanting and reprogramming their database's defense.

Fuuka finally noticed Minato's presence and greeted the Field Leader.

"Minato-san, thank you for having me here," it elicited a welcoming smile from Minato and he nodded. The unfocused gaze on his eyes disappeared and Mitsuru gestured at their current Router. "Yamagishi will be our tactical support and Router substituting me from now on, you can rely on her. And also, from now on you can go to Tartarus without me if Yamagishi is available."

"I and Ixtab will do our best to support you, so just tell me if you want to go to Tartarus," she offered with a gentle smile, her teal eyes crinkled shut in genuine kindness.

Mitsuru bookmarked her last page and said, "But if neither me nor Akihiko is present, I will prohibit you to go into Tartarus. I'll join the front-line from now on,"

Minato agreed, but Mitsuru sensed the perturbed quietness from him. She waited.

"Fuuka, you're... Mitsuru-senpai's employee, right?" he held the scalding warmth from the cup within his palms.

Fuuka glanced at Mitsuru and a nod allowed her to share. "Yes, I'm Mitsuru-san's employee even before I gained Ixtab's power," she said demurely. "I signed Confidentiality Contract a few years ago and was aware of SEES's operation. What is it... Minato-san?"

He hesitated. The complex intangibility of his emotions leaking through carefully-crafted mask of indifference.

"How much... do you know about my files?"

Mitsuru stiffened, but keeping her unaffected mask up. Minato's assignment to their dorm wasn't a coincidence or a last-minute decision. It was to monitor his potential as a recruit, suggested by Ikutsuki. His late arrival during the Dark Hour attested to his potential. She didn't know how far the former Lead Researcher of Ergo Division was in or how he knew Minato, but all of it was done to gain more manpower. To erase the sins of Kirijo. She knew that their Field Leader would ask, sooner or later.

Mitsuru explained, "One of Yamagishi's jobs as my employee is to do a background check on each potential recruit. She was employed knowing that she must not tell anyone about this level of security clearance, but she didn't have the potential back then."

Fuuka answered truthfully, "I did your background check, but what I could find was everything up to ten years ago, but we couldn't recover your preceding history more than that. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any birth certificate or family record about you."

"Not even any legal identity?" Minato pushed.

She said ruefully, "No photos, no birth certificate, no family record. What we knew was everything you know about yourself. I'm sorry we can't find anything else."

Fuuka got up and brought her laptop to Minato's side, she pulled up her browsing prompt and manouevered easily in the National Government's Population and Civil Registration Agency. She succesfully keylogged her way in the admin user. She typed out Minato's full name with an admin's security clearance. But she showed Minato an empty search result.

Minato exhaled harshly, knowing it'll end this way. He had no way to know.

The front door opened. Short banter notified them of Akihiko and Shinjiro's arrival with Miki trying to keep up with their larger strides. Apparently they had just picked her up from her part-time job, as the smell of coffee and cake lingered in the air upon their arrival. Akihiko's arms warped protectively around his only family's shoulder. Bitter envy stung him at their familiarity and he got up, bidding his good night to them.

The coffee was left untouched.

* * *

Akihiko sighed, "I don't understand why you took two jobs now, it's not like I can't afford you anything," he grumbled on his way to the kitchenette, barely pausing in front of the common room to wave at Mitsuru and Fuuka. Shinjiro mumbled something that seemed suspiciously like, "Idiot," and only raised his hand. Miki put her bag in the sofa with a smile to them and moved to the tv, catching up to the news. Once the news ended, Miki joined Akihiko and her pseudo-brother to the kitchenette, taking care to avoid the icy atmosphere in the common room.

 _"_ _I want to save up,"_ she left her notebook in front of Akihiko's table as she made a beeline for the refrigerator, reaching for a bar of chocolate while tossing a protein bar to Akihiko. Akihiko looked at her funnily, ripped the plastic and took a big bite. Shinjiro sighed beside him. Miki sat beside Shinjiro and the three dined peacefully.

* * *

Minato awoke the the beeping notice from his laptop, a new email popped up with Innocent Sin's opening song in the background. He swept his gaze across the neatly bland room and located his phone, exhaling softly at the missing calls he got. He clapped shut his phone and went downstair, the common room was empty. He stole a bag of chip, whoever it belonged to, and a can of decaf from the kitchenette and hauled them upstair into his room.

Minato booted his laptop from its sleep mode and he logged in to his avatar character. The interior of Lunarvale Hospital was the first thing he saw and another avatar approached him, doing a perky twirl with a 'Maya' sign floating above her head.

"tatsuyaaaa4! xD long time no see btw," the Maya avatar hugged him. Minato quirked an eyebrow at Maya's antics, but inputted the hotkey to hug back.

"i was super-duper w0rried that u may not return to le game TwT its only us here" Maya inserted a sad emoticon and Minato wondered why a stranger he had never seen would be worried about an online friend.

"ooh! u hav to hear dis!" with a second, Maya's demeanor changed and the avatar danced happily.

Minato typed on amusedly, "Calm down," which put the dance to a stop and Maya sat down.

"well, ur rite. I should calm down first =O= *breathes*"

"did u remember Mr. E? The SOB? the senior teacher i told you abt when i was wasted drunk?"

His avatar nodded and Maya continued her ramblings. "he got pwned! bwahahaha XDD"

"that lame guy got his a$$ kicked by our ms prez. Wo0t! b( ^o^)/d"

Minato leaned back on his chair, he had pretty much knew about Maya's job and her frustation at work. And the possibility that Maya is someone he know is steadily increasing each time. But sharing stories about real life seemed to stretch it too far. They had nothing to gain and nothing to lose exactly because they haven't meet each other. Online friends are easy to connect with, but even easier to let go. He only have to delete his account and this stranger wouldn't even have any means to contact him anymore.

"but the problem was bigger than that AwA " Maya continued. Minato's eyes glanced across the words, barely paying any attention.

"i dun know why i want to tell this to tatsuya... jus recently 1 of my students went missing! D: i was so worried TwT"

"...but he returned just fine! t*w*t"

"u should've seen his friends face when he returned to school XDD ahh lucky boi"

Minato's fingers hovered above the keyboards.

Lucky? Him?

Another 'pop' notified him of a new chat.

"surrounded by that many people... he must be happy ^_^"

Minato's breath caught in his throat. Trembling fingers forgotten as their owner tried to find his words. Lucky? When the only person he could remember from his jaded past had said that one of them had to die?

He had allowed himself to be carried away, to be swept in a turbulent change that lets him to forget that his luck had ran out years ago. His wry smile turned into a grimace. He slipped up, again. And people around him had started to notice that his walls were only painted with distractions that didn't really mean anything.

"tatsuyaaa r u still there? Sry i was talking abt sumthing irrelevant teehee" Maya said and Minato regained enough sense to reply.

"I'm still here," Minato typed slowly, his eyelashes casted low in silent acceptance.

 _I'm still here, while she's not._

"good! phew... much better. talking to tatsuya is now my fav pasttime :* "

Maya blushed. "rofl! omg sorry wrong emoticon!" Minato can hear panic on the other side, his musing forgotten and he smiled, hiding it behind his hand.

"i warn u tatsuya dun take it wrong or i'll rip ur smirk with my own fist!" Maya stood up abruptly, fussing about and inserted an angry emoticon. The girl logged off in a second.

Unbeknown to him, the ninth arcana shone warmly within his sea of soul.

* * *

"-Sato," a nearby voice called.

Distractedly, Minato took off his left earphone, coming into contact with Mitsuru. She let out a self-assured smile, although a hint of anxiousness shown in her figure, "We will look more thoroughly about your information. I don't know what caused your data to be unavailable in National Population and Civil Registration Agency, but do know that Yamagishi is someone I hand-picked myself."

Minato politely nodded, one hand kept in his pocket, "I will be counting on you, Ms. President." To which Mitsuru actually smiled in appreciation, "You can rely on us." They walked through the gate, oblivious to the whispering students around them. Minato punched the button on his MP3 Player, wearing it again while keeping the volume low.

Mitsuru wore an assessing gaze as she regarded the Field Leader again, "...You've been distracted lately" she noted, manicured fingers grasped loosely around her bag. Minato kept his gaze downward for a while, mouth set into a thin line.

"I want to know that you're okay, Arisato," Mitsuru added, worry hidden beneath her formal exterior. Too distant to be a friend, but kind enough to offer him, of all people, her worry.

Mitsuru's figure stood beside him, undeterred confidence and ice-cold with burdens of her own. She's a precious comrade, someone whose life he will protect from the Shadows with the same ferocity as how he will protect everyone. Even if he have to take a bullet or push them to safety.

He won't let anyone die. Not within his reach.

Minato eventually returned Mitsuru's gaze with the same assurance. With the same lie he had told numerous times. He pasted a smile on his mask.

Didn't he promised in the room that existed between matter and consciousness that he would erase his weakness?

"I'm alright,"

* * *

 **Author Note:**

I'm sorry for the late update, this chapter is the hardest chapter to write yet and I did lots of imagining for Minato's part. Like... What if I'm in his shoes? This is the result and I know that I'm not the best writer out there but thanks for putting up with me. I'm surprised that I still received notifs of story fav and alerts.

This chapter contains Hermit SL skit level 6 and Justice SL level 3-4, with changes you'd notice here and there. And the story is currently on 6/16/09 in-game. I know it's too early for them to develop real interest in Minato, but it feels like this fic is more about social-linking Minato than the other way around :D

Thanks for reading! Err... If I still have any reader left *sweatdrop*


	12. Little by Little

Chapter 12

Little by Little

The sound of flesh met metal sprung Minato on his toes. His forgotten disciples returned to him bit by bit as he landed on concrete ground, innate grace propelled him backward as he met Akihiko back-to-back. That person's instruction barked out loudly, " _Pull your fists to cover your heart and throat. Don't leave any room for counterattack!"_ Leveling the weight of blood-stained Sonic Fists around his torso, Minato saw the Senior smirked as Adamant Beetles surrounded them.

"Never know you used to boxing," came Akihiko's impressed voice as he followed up with a mean left hook.

"Not so much," Minato calmly replied, taking on the Shadow targetting Yukari's back and twirled his Evoker.

"Lilim!" his head jerked sideway as the devil's child obeyed his order and spun upward giddily, eager to please. Vile shock of Mazio threw the Shadow away as the lightning caught its wings, the smoke rose to the air like a polluted light. Minato rushed to the weakening foe, relentlessly charging even before those insects can grovel before his feet. He couldn't stop, he didn't stop before the cries of its downfall rang loudly in his ears.

"Whoa, dude! Dude! That's overkill," Junpei winced at the black goo around Minato's feet, somehow feeling sorry for the Shadow. He balanced the spiked bat to his left shoulder, the nails driven into the wood menacingly. Yukari approached them and gave a strange morsel to the Field Leader. "Found it near the staircase, Minato-kun. But hey, Junpei, isn't it good that he's on a roll?" she mused.

"Are you sure you don't want to join Boxing Club?" Akihiko flexed his fists as he asked.

Minato said with a noncommital shrug, "I won't be as better as you who trained for years, though," He walked onward and they went for the staircase.

"Man, I thought you'd at least chickening out from Tartarus for a few days 'cuz... y'know, trapped here and all."

"How was Tartarus, then?" Yukari leaned forward.

"...Same old, but more tiring," Minato said after a few seconds.

 _Lie._

"Figures," Junpei snickered goofily. But then his brows furrowed in question, examining the menacing spiked bat in the process. "Where'd you get this? I love baseball and all, but I don't wanna think that Kurosawa-san would sell something like this," he stated horrifiedly.

Akihiko pondered, " I don't think there's any weapon smuggler here. Where did you got it, then?"

A mysterious smile etched into Minato's face. "One of my..." What's the best word to describe Elizabeth now?

"...Friend is a collector."

"Well, that's... Quite a hobby," Akihiko pitched in and Yukari wished the boys would stop talking about weapon as if it's a toy.

Minato wondered what Elizabeth would say about being mistaken as a weapon smuggler.

...Maybe she is.

"Okay, next fight!" Junppei shouted excitedly as he bashed his bat to a blob of Shadows that greeted them as they went upstair.

"Ouch," Yukari grimaced.

"...Somehow I feel responsible for this," Minato smiled wanly and they joined Junpei shortly. The blob dispersed as the shriek echoed through the badly-lit maze, four Jealous Cupids took form and bows at ready. "Tch, ranged attack. This'll be annoying," Akihiko huffed but his eyes glistened at the notion of challenge.

"Fuuka, analyze them," Minato voiced through his earpiece as his foremind dismissed Lilim silently.

"On it!" the next second, Fuuka summoned the transparrent white-robed Persona in the lobby. Mitsuru stayed behing her motorcycle. The lantern swayed as the woman spanned out its arms. Teal eyes observed behind the Priestess's mask.

Angrily, one of the Cupids shot an arrow to Junpei in revenge. Junpei yelped as he swished to the side, the arrow grazing his abdomen in the process. "Not very flexible, aren't we," Akihiko remarked as he chased his prey.

"Good night!" he said viciously, jerking his dominant arm in a promising pain. The strike crushed the Cupid's mask, leaving it defenseless. "And...!" the Gekkoukan champion stepped to his left, sending a practiced uppercut before the Shadow's arrow could touch him.

"Amazing, Senpai!" Yukari cheered, her arms held the bow gracefully as she support-fired Minato's opponent. The arrow glided smoothly and nicked its arm. Three enemies left.

"C'mon, buddy" Minato fired his Evoker, Jack Frost waved at Junpei and casted Re Patra. Downed Junpei got up as a bright green light dispelled his bound. Junpei grinned, "Sorry to keep you waiting,"

He whooped the bat, "Guess who's gonna get their ass kicked!" and struck a mortal blow to the offending foe, rendering it to a hapless mess. A buzz in his earpiece notified Minato of Fuuka's observation. "...It's weak to Bufu spells!" came Fuuka's confirmation.

Minato said to the earpiece "Alright, we'll take over from here,", closing his eyes as he sensed Jack Frost's glee.

* * *

Yukari brushed imaginary dust from her skirt as she accepted Minato's hand that pulled her upward, "Well, I guess that's all." She said as she looked back on the havoc they wrecked. Sheen of sweat didn't deter her while her psyche slowly getting used to the taxing atmosphere of Tartarus. If their Field leader can survive half a day here, they have to catch up with him.

But his unfazed composure was daunting, to say the least. If she didn't stand in close proximity to Minato, she wouldn't have noticed the faint tremor of his bleeding arm as he led them upstair. His footsteps unwavering, assuredly navigating through the block. Minato sometimes signaled them to wait as the Shadows turned to their tails and ran past without encountering them, placing Yukari behind him as he stayed on the vanguard.

Minato turned his head, called out "Here we are," and drew her attention. Junpei sighed in relief beside her, "Whew, no Shadows here,"

She heard a chuckle from her earpiece and Fuuka informed them, "There are three Floor Guardians in the middle of this floor, Junpei-kun. But they won't attack first, so we should be okay,"

Akihiko said his thanks and turned to Minato, "Well, we should go find the warp first," as he scanned the area. His eyes found the warp, Minato walked to it and activated the machine. "I always wonder why something so convenient appeared before the mid-boss battle," Junpei craned his head behind Minato's shoulder as the Field Leader operated it.

"Well, there are always save points before boss battle, right?" Minato offered with a smile and Junpei guffawed before the sensation of being teleported surrounded them. They arrived in the lobby, Fuuka and Mitsuru greeted them behind Mitsuru's bike. A vast selection of Router equipment mounted above it.

"Great job, as always," Mitsuru praised as she took off her earpiece. A beautiful red sheathe attached to her waist as she stood up, ready to fight. Fuuka sat near the bike, floating lanterns surrounded her while Ixtab hovered above her. She wore a headphone around her head that connected her to the equipment, a small microphone was attached to it.

Fuuka suggested, "There are... Three Shadows on the 47th floor, called Golden Beetles. And it's weak to electricity."

Yukari looked astonished, "You scanned that far?" and their Router smiled meekly, unused to such attention. "Dang, you're good!" Junpei exclaimed as he propped up a thumb, making her flustered even further.

Akihiko smiled encouragingly, "Well, I guess you have to take compliments when it's due." Mitsuru continued, "It's a quality that you have to be proud of, Yamagishi," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"T-thank you," came the timid reply.

* * *

Saying that Mr. Edogawa is one hell of a long-winded teacher seems like putting it politely, Junpei thought as he tried and failed to keep his eyes open. He dozed off with half-lidded eyes as he observed the class. The guys at the back had it lucky and Kenji didn't even bother to wipe his droll. Ugh.

Somehow, Junpei just had the luck that he'd got called on if the teachers caught him sleeping and the students would laugh quietly when he got stood in front of the class. Heck, they didn't even have any use of friggin' whatever lesson Mr. Edogawa taught in the future. Psh, he didn't even care about his study, why should everyone else care?

Being laughed at was something Junpei got used to. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't get that angry over being called Stupei this, Stupei that. He didn't get angry when strangers threw the nickname at him. Yeah, he's stupid. No need to remind him that.

"Eeeheehee, who should I pick today? Pallas aron azinomas... It is thine lucky star today, Iori-kun,"

Motherfucker.

"H-Huh?" he snapped to attention. Yukari snickered in her seat and he swore that he won't give her the time of the day. Minato stirred quietly, his damn emo bangs hid the fact that he slept throughout the lesson and for some reason, Junpei envied the bangs.

Should Junpei grow out his bangs, then?

...Uhh, bad mental image is bad.

"So, Iori-kun, what formed the origins of magic? Animism, totenism, or shamanism?"

And that's the one million dollar question! A small sheen of sweat formed on his temple.

He quickly gave his trusty bro The Look and Minato nodded resolutely. He discreetly rose three of his fingers and— "Ah, ah, I see you there, Arisato-kun!" Mr. Edogawa's glasses glistened under the summer sun and he chuckled madly, all image of a nerdy teacher gone in an instant.

"Enjoy your next lives as chupacabras, you two!" he flaunted his white lab coat dramatically and thrusted his finger to the front of the class. Minato sighed and stood from his seat. Junpei pouted as he followed Minato in front of the class.

"Now, class! I'll demonstrate what does a Chupacabra looked like. Fortunately, we have two volunteers here, eeeheehee" Mr. Edogawa turned his attention to them and grinned.

He and Minato were posed against each other, both hands raised like a T-Rex and teeth bared. The students didn't dare to laugh, but the constipated smiles from the whole class was enough. Enough.

Junpei wanted to cry in the corner.

* * *

Even with their pose, Minato kept a straight face. That guy can even freeze hell if he wanted to. His mouth twitched, bared teeth showing the perfect replica of a Chupacabra. Mr. Edogawa even deliberately drew the supposed creature on the whiteboard and a hairless, ugly fusion of kangaroo-rat-crocodile manifested.

The topic strayed from Chupacabra to the supposition that its sightings were related to a satanic cult, then to how the figure of satan itself was viewed as the fallen angel, Lucifer.

"As a reminder, the origin of magic is strongly related to shamanism. Take witch, onmyouji, and shrine maiden as examples. The concept itself was embraced widely around the world and derived from the idea of being in-touch with the gods that they served or made contract with." Mr. Edogawa spoke, bringing attention to himself. His eyes shone with keen interest.

"Japan had Abe no Seimei and Kamo no Yasunori. Here, the concept of contracting gods to earn their powers is translated into Shikigami, similar to European witch's familiar. They learned to utilize their magic without losing control. That's how they originally awoke to magic." Mr. Edogawa swept his gaze throughout the class, some students were interested but most of them dozed off peacefully. Well, it didn't matter.

"Actually, there's a theory that all form of magic came from the same thing, human's subconsciousness. This mindscape is aptly called the Sea of Soul." some eyes widen and he can feel the gazes burned into his back. Interesting.

"If the summoner is well-experienced, his/her power can manifest, acting as some sort of a... Guardian of its master. But if the summoner is careless or afraid of their own power, his/her power may get out of control in time, eventually killing its own master in revenge."

He kept the smirk to himself, "Ah, also... In Greek, there is another name for this power that ascends from the Sea of Soul, although it was mostly unknown. This is called-"

"...Persona,"

* * *

 **Author Note:**

I know this is no excuse, but my dear father had just passed away a week ago and I have to take care of the big matters before I got settled. Now I'm located somewhere in South Kalimantan and work in my father's hometown. It stings when I return to a city that each nook and cranny reminds me of him.

See Wikipedia fro Chupacabra. That's the pose I'm imagining when they got stood in front of the class *snicker*Ah, high school. We have our own mischieve back then, huh? Teehee

I guess there's no point in apologizing for a late chapter, again. And it's a bit too short for my liking but I have to end it here. You'll know in the next few chapters. Don't hold your breath, I can't promise anything.

Thanks for reading and I love you, readers :3


	13. Laying Dormant

Chapter 13

Laying Dormant

The only torch in the surrounding tranquility came from a faint blue glow in the corner of the room. Focused eyes scanned the words quickly and each time Fuuka read it, each time her mind seemed to beckon to uncover the hazy trail of Minato's files. She tried her best not to feel like this was a hopeless chase. Nothing.

Considering the technology level back then, maybe Minato's files was lost to history. Maybe they were lost with his parents. Maybe they were never inputted in the national database to begin with.

Feeling a little tired, Fuuka changed into a more comfortable position, balancing her laptop on her knee as she sat against the secluded aisle of the school library's wall. It was a dismal day and try as her might, two hours of searching and she found nothing. She didn't make any progress. The sun arched, tipping and shifting to allow dusk into existence. Restless now, Fuuka packed her laptop and ready to leave the school.

Once she reached the hallway, a crowd formed in front of the shoe rack, comparing photo shoots to each other. She thought that she was the last to leave, seeing that the sundown has reached its peak. Fuuka avoided them, going roundabout to her locker. She walked faster, but a dizzy spell hit her and she leaned on the sturdy wood, hoping that the crowd didn't notice.

She grimaced at the oncoming pain. The dull thud from the back of her head resonated with the mingling voice.

"...What's wrong?" a quiet concern approached her and amongst the painful waves of headache, Fuuka recognized it as Minato's voice. A cold, steady hand fixed on her shoulder, "I'm okay... Minato-kun," she replied wearily. Maybe she was coming down with a flu. But coming to the hospital is a pain and she'd rather spend her time coped in her room with her laptop. She saw Minato craned his neck and called someone over.

" Ah, Yamagishi-san. Just in time, I was going to ask you to join our club." a tuft of familiar brown hair approached her field of vision and the bespectacled boy regarded her with the scrutinizing attention she was unused to. "Are you okay?"

"Just a little headache, Keisuke-senpai..." she appreciated the question but the headache intensified in time.

"No, no! No can do. We should determine the cause of your headache and diagnose it now," he said sternly and the crowd's attention shifted to her. So much for avoiding detection.

A girl closest to their position sighed, "Give it up, Yamagishi. Keisuke-senpai's at it again." She said boredly, as if used to his action. Not knowing what to do, Fuuka stood still while the Photography Club leader prodded and padded around her, touching the sides of her head before a pressure to the back of her head made Fuuka winced painfully. Minato observed sympathetically on the sideline.

"Hmm, you are most likely to suffer from chronic-tension type headache. Did you spend many times in front of the computer?"

"Huh? O-Oh, y-yeah, I just did," she mumbled, understanding the cause.

"Now that we have found the cause of your headache, we should treat it to the hospital. Today's not my dad's work shift so I'd ask our Brain Surgeon to check on you," Keisuke nodded assuredly, as if it was a normal thing to ask a surgeon to treat a headache.

"...?!" the club members around them groaned and Fuuka wanted no part in knowing how often Keisuke treated his own club members like this.

"On second thought, I'll call the limousine to pick us up to the hospital to treat your headache. The ride will be much, much smoother..."

Alarmed, Fuuka said hurriedly, "U-uh, that's okay. I'm fine! My dorm is close by and my dorm mate Minato-kun is—"

Fuuka turned to Minato for help. The teen had disappeared from the crowd unnoticed.

Later that day, Fuuka had to cover her face from their dorm's neighbor as she was dropped off from the sleek, shiny black limousine.

When she opened her bag to retrieve her laptop, a Photography Club Member Card nested inside along with a small bag of medicine. She smiled.

* * *

"...Hey, I'm sorry I called on short notice," baritone voice called from the phone. Minato hummed, letting the person took over the conversation. "I still have practice for the upcoming regional tournament and Shinji said that he have something to take care of." Akihiko's tired voice carried over.

"Can you pick Miki up from her job? Miki should be in the Chagall Cafe right now, her shift would end at 8 pm. You're not busy, right?"

Minato crossed the street, a hand in the pocket as he obserbed the busy night life of this artificial island. Paulownia Mall just right in the front of his eyes, "I was with Fuuka, she got sick but it's okay."

The Field Leader smiled, "I left earlier, Keisuke-senpai will take care of her. Fuuka needs to meet more people other than us."

Akihiko's voice sounded surprised, "Keisuke Hiiraga? The son of Kirijo Hospital's director?"

"Yeah,"

"Huh, small world." Akihiko chuckled amusedly. "Well, don't be late. And don't you dare flirting on her!"

A sigh. "You're a chronic siscon, Senpai." Minato ended the call before he can hear Akihiko's retort.

* * *

It's difficult being famous. The man can hardly walk around without being recognized. Sure, he's the favourite of housewives all around Japan and the best friend of their pockets, but he can do without their children ganging up on him singing that blasted headache-inducing Jika-Net Tanaka song while their moms asked his autograph. He didn't know what prompted him to chose that song as the jingle of his show.

Mr. Tanaka sipped his Sumatran Coffee, his designer Armani suits and tie changed into a casual polo shirt and slack pants. Night was the only time he's not swamped with promotion and business exchanges.

With a cheery ring, the cafe's door opened and a handsome young man entered. Hmm, he'll be perfect for the company's image. But he still wore his school uniform.

Tch, his mother would've pulled his ear when he dared to go out in his uniform rather than helping out to sell his mother's handicraft. Youngsters nowadays had it lucky. Who's his parents? They didn't even know how to instill discipline on their son!

A waitress approached the young man. He talked in a familiar way to her and she took him to an empty table. He was left on his own as the girl scurried back to the kitchen. He pulled a book from his bag and began reading after she delivered a steaming coffee to his table.

That waitress was a peculiar one, Mr. Tanaka thought. She wore a more conservative uniform with buttons up till her neck while the other waitresses wore skimpier uniforms to attract more tips from their patrons. She was cute, though. Maybe that's her only saving grace. What was that style called? Loli? Goth?

He decided that he didn't understand teenagers.

But he moved up from his table, anyway. There's something about the young man that seemed hidden, the rough texture of a diamond yet to be discovered. And if he takes this young man under his wing, Mr. Tanaka can train him into a perfect cut of a masterpiece. A tool he can use to further the business, just like everything and everyone else that had crossed his path. A mere naive young man can't be any different.

"What are you reading?" Mr. Tanaka set his coffee in front of this stranger with a winning business smile on his face. The first to attack is the winner. He didn't have any interest in his choice of reading material, though. Nothing can be really surmised from books. Experience speaks louder, anyway.

Unfazed grey eyes looked up but a keen sense of wrongness engulfed them. The young man seemed _off,_ unusual even. Blankness instantly covered his facade, like a well-trained guards. Smooth voice replied, "Nothing important."

Mr. Tanaka glanced flatly, a polite smile still in place. "Well, let me tell you something. Those books are frustratingly uninformative. Experience is more important in this world. That's how I succeed in the first place," he said confidently and a small but quickly hidden spark of recognization appeared in the young man's eyes.

"You're a businessman," he stated a fact, not a question.

"You should've seen me once or twice in your TV," the middle-aged man grinned.

The young man closed his book, full attention on the businessman. "That annoying jingle couldn't be more memorable," Ah, someone else agreed with him. The teen gained more points in his favour.

"I see a diamond in you. How about it? How would you like to have your dream comes true? ...I have a golden opportunity for you," Mr. Tanaka leaned on his cushion as he intertwined his fingers. Business always came off as easy as breathing.

"I could make it worth your while." He offered. A coy smile pasted on this nameless young man's face, "...I'm afraid I don't swing that way, Mr. Tanaka," he replied with all seriousness, but he hid an amused smile behind his hand. This kid... He can't be more infuriating.

"Pure business," Mr. Tanaka gritted out through closed teeth.

The elusive young man hummed exasperatingly, as if it was just an innocent, harmless misinterpretation. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit dull," the teen mused.

"It doesn't matter," Mr. Tanaka said, sounding as sincere as ever, like treating a potential customer although his temper had flared a bit. This _slightly_ intelligent young man grated on his bad side, but more intrigued than irritated.

"What's your name?" Mr. Tanaka asked, starting from basic information.

"Makoto Yuki,"

 _Oh,_ he's good. No oral fixation, no conversational pause, no loss of eye contact, or bobbed his knees. Two can play at this game.

Mr. Tanaka gestured with his hands, speaking condescendingly "People don't usually lie about their own name, brat."

The young man's mouth quirked up a bit this time, "How did you know?"

"You blinked. I've been in this business for years, you can't defeat me," he added with a smug smirk. Ha! Eat that.

Their conversation came to a stop as that peculiar waitress approached their table, now changed into her school uniform.

The teen across him said, "There you are, let's go home." He returned his book and finished his cooled coffee in one go.

The young man stood up, "My name is Minato Arisato. Thank you for your time, Mr. Tanaka." Minato returned to his polite facade and walked away. The girl bowed respectfully to him and left with a smile.

"Damn kid," Tanaka muttered to himself, feeling annoyed although he had practically won the verbal argument.

Before he left, though, that cheeky brat stopped on his track and touched his own chest. Tanaka could swear that he saw the teen's chest _glowed._

Maybe he's getting old. Age factor does that to people... right?

Minato looked back, a sincere smile directed to the businessman "...Nice to meet you."

* * *

The midnight-haired teen was silent through the walk back to the dorm. Miki's steps padded a few pace behind him and he was glad for the distance. The pure, unadulterated envy was still there, muddling his judgments and he didn't really want a repeat of what trascended in the common room. Seeing those three huddled close to each other brought putrid, ugly emotions within him that he's ill-equipped to recognize.

Funny, humans would want things they didn't have.

* * *

Came the next day, Minato was about to join Kazushi and pick up his Kendo equipment when the scarlet-haired President suddenly entered their homeroom. "Mind if I interrupt?" the mature girl looked grim, an incoming news to their development.

"Aww, man. Looks like you'll be busy, then." Kazushi sighed, leaning on his good leg as he held his bamboo sword.

The walk back to the dorm should take about an hour... "I should still be available for a match, how about that?" Minato bargained, eyeing Yukari and Junpei who had grouped near Mitsuru. They're waiting.

A chuckle, "Deal," with a fistbump to his shoulder, Kazushi left the classroom and waved at Junpei. Minato watched the exchange and soon joined the three who formed a circle around his seat.

"Let's continue. Mr. Chairman just called me this morning that he'll be stopping by this evening. Come back as soon as possible and go to the briefing room on the 4th floor." She said promptly.

"Huh? Well, okay..." Yukari replied for them and a faint smile adorned the colder exterior of Mitsuru's facade. "I'll see you all later, please don't be late." She turned around and leave their homeroom. Her poise undeterred.

Junpei whistled, "Damn, Kirijos are so different. Think Yuka-tan would have one third of Mitsuru-senpai's grace?" he asked with a smirk, no wonder to rile Yukari up. The boy's boldness sure knows no boundary.

God help us.

* * *

A refreshing kind of pain engulfed his torso. The kind of pain you got from sport and fighting with nothing to lose. Kazushi managed to hit him twice but he still won, anyway. The coach observed them like a hawk, no question noticing Kazushi's awkward angle and he wondered if he have to tell the coach about Kazushi's injury. But there was a clear passion different from what he used to see in Kazushi's eyes.

It used to be all about winning and losing.

It was hot outside, a sign that the rain will come a little while later or maybe tonight. The pain had subsided by the time he and Junpei reached the dorm. Even though he told the energetic Magician that he had a Kendo match and Junpei can go to their dorm first, he found the teen at the front gate, waiting. Junpei had opted to hung his creased uniform shirt over his shoulder. As they neared the entrance, they saw Fuuka and Yukari playing with a dog. Patting its head and cooed over it. Even the dog seemed to be bothered by all the attention. They noticed the boys.

"Finally you're here," Yukari greeted them first. "Hi, everyone," Fuuka stood from her crouch, a hand still patting the dog.

Surprisingly, Junpei recognized the dog. "Heey, Koro, my boy! Long time no see," he crouched and patted the cemented ground below him and the white shiba-inu rushed to Junpei's side happily, licking the boy's cheek with fervor.

"Woof! Woof!" it frolicked energetically.

"You know him, Junpei-kun?" Fuuka asked, eyes straying from the dog to Junpei.

"Heh, well. It's a boring story, girls. Just the meeting between a man and a dog." Junpei casted out his arm for emphasis and Fuuka laughed, the very image of a well-mannered and vulnerable girl. No trace of the commissioned hacker who got through Kirijo's database defense at 12 years old.

"We met in front of the convenience store, that's all. Then, this really talkative hag passed by and told me that Koro used to belong to the priest at the shrine. The priest died from a hit-and-run, though." The dog nuzzled Junpei's leg and gave a sad whimper.

"It looks like Koro goes for a walk everyday just like when his owner was alive, huh? No wonder we just met again." Junpei rubbed behind its ears.

"Cheesy," Yukari offered a smile.

* * *

Summer rain trickled down through the large windows, pelting against the wind and kissed the earth while the rumbling thunder became a noise that raptured the bleak sky. Luckily, the Chairman came just before the drizzle turned into a heavy rain. Tired bags formed under his eyes but the almost gleeful expression on the man's face told him otherwise. Ikutsuki can't even hide his giddiness, grinning and becoming lost in his own world. A news of their development must be in order, then, Minato thought as he brought the Chairman to the Briefing Room. Everyone stood up from their respective seats upon their arrival.

"Ah, good night, everyone," he motioned them to sit down with his free hand, eager to start.

They observed Ikutsuki curiously as he set his messenger bag on the table. But rather than a complicated device or a laptop, the man pulled out a deck of cards.

The sudden increase of his heartbeat confounded Minato.

Ikutsuki shuffled the cards and spread them, twelve distinctive cards in reverse position showcased before them. The giddiness disappeared from the Chairman's face, replaced by a morbid interest of a fascinated researcher. The man who spoke to them was someone who spent his years to unravel the secrets of humanity's threat.

"I was going to show you the original graph and Probability Scheme I came up with, but those might be difficult to follow. I decided these cards will be simpler instead," and one by one, he flipped up the cards to their upright positions.

"Magician, Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Justice, Hermit, Fortune, Strength and Hanged Man," engrossed in the tight grip of his fascination, Ikutsuki glanced up to the teenagers that encircled him. "I want you all to listen closely,"

"The founding principle of SEES is to eradicate Shadows that has been a threat to human's subconsciousness. Your experiences in Tartarus are what ultimately enables me to find out the characteristics of the Shadows." He started.

"As you fought in Tartarus, I had been collecting the characteristics of the Shadows. Dividing them and categorizing them. You are the frontliners, so you must've known for a while what differentiate Shadows from each other. These... are called battle data." The steel-rimmed glasses focused on each of them, dragging them to an unknown territory from what _should've_ been just about defeating the Shadows that stood in their ways.

"It's their masks... Right?" Yukari added uncertainly. Ikutsuki leaned back, giving them a sudden grin.

"Ah, as expected of _his_ daughter. You're absolutely right, Takeba." Yukari clenched her hands on the end of her skirt, uncomfortable silence curiously veiled by traces of obscurity. Mitsuru casted her glance away, her expression unreadable.

Clearing his throat, Ikutsuki uncapped an ink marker he found within his bag. He marked an 'X' to the first four cards in the table. "And as Yukari said, Shadows can be classified according to their masks. These four cards belongs to arcanum I to IV, because however different they may be from the usual Shadows, the same classification scheme still applies. They represent those Special Shadows you fought on each full moon. So, from now we shall code them as Full Moon Shadows,"

With a sweep, he eliminated the first four cards from the table, leaving out eight cards in their stead. Like a mere pawns that has served their purpose.

"Huh... If there are eight cards here, then are there more eight big Shadows out there?" Shinjiro who was silent through the entire discussion examined the cards, giving his two cents. A feral grin made its way to Akihiko's face, "Well, you should hurry up and get better already if you want to bash them up."

His best friend huffed, "That's my intention."

"Okay, then. Any question?" Ikutsuki pulled up his right leg to his knee, a hand dusting unseen dirt from his pants. A patient smile etched onto his face.

"Oh, uh, what are they after?" Junpei asked quickly, like an addendum to the scrambled mess of information.

"I'm glad you have the interest, Iori. That's what we haven't figured out yet, their motive. They didn't kill their victims, although obliteration of consciousness seems like the more likely answer. Well, as time pass, we hope that we can find out more about the nature of Shadows." Ikutsuki actually considered his answer.

Hopelessly clutching on to some strands of a vague truth, Yukari whispered. "But what about Tartarus? Why does it even exist?"

No one can answer it for her.

* * *

Everyone left the room feeling more perplexed than enlightened, even Mitsuru. Disengaging himself from the strenuos discussion, Akihiko looked up to find that the Briefing Room was nearly empty save for him and the Chairman. The man examined the cards closely, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

The Golden Boy stood up to leave the man with his own thought.

"Akihiko," he stopped upon hearing his name to regard the Chairman.

"...Have you consider it? As it stands with our current situation, I think your sister would agree." Ikutsuki calmly sipped his coffee, the steam blurred the lenses.

Akihiko looked back, a dark chuckle accompanied the rising anger steeped within his chest. He lowered his voice, signs of warning clearly seen in his eyes. They were the eyes of someone who would kill to protect.

"I'll kill you first before you even think of using Miki."

* * *

Examining the sleeping face of her marred figure, he took hold of her hand, knowing that she would hear him within the dark.

"I won't let you fight. Never."

* * *

The muffled sound of various instruments played out and a loud voice boomed, telling the new members to stand in line. Miki stared at him. Mouth set into a thin line. Her features stood still within his reach but misty eyes fixed on what transcended beyond the door.

"Culture club recruitment, huh?" He smiled. "You're a better singer than them, you know. You used to sing for the charity events in the orphanage and many parents wanted to adopt you." He reminisced distantly. "But I and Shinji wouldn't let them have our little sister so easily. You remember? They ran away when they saw Shinji's Glare of Doom" He added with a laugh and he felt a tug on his shirt.

Miki's fingers latched into his shirt, longing invested in those thin digits as she listened to the singer and he can only watch her succumb to an irreparable condition. Her side profile made his eyes stung with a blurry mozaic, a ruined shell of the child that was -and still- his pillar of strength.

She used to hold his hand on her right and Shinji's on her left but she barely did that anymore, preferring to hide away as if she's a deadweight that burdened them. Her survival itself was a mere chance.

If Shinji didn't push the cupboard that fell on her, she would've...

The first few years after the fire in the orphanage was hard. Miki's damaged body was charred and the festering burns spread through the skin, expanding from her neck to the thighs. It destroyed the nerves on her neck, the blunt force trauma ebbed her voice away. The lulling voice that used to deliver them to slumber was gone, it fades like the light withdrawing from the darkness.

The blisters on her mid-section were soon filled with abscess. The blackened skin and wet scabs made the smell of dried blood revolting. His child self didn't do anything to stop her cry each time it hurts, afraid that the skin would break with the slightest touch. He'd leapt angrily to anyone who dared to mock that she's ugly. Shinji would send a glare that made them shaking like fallen leaves but didn't say anything. Always calmer than he was.

It was just the three of them. Everyone else didn't matter.

"C'mon, rehab time. Dr. Sonomura said that she misses you. Shinji's waiting at the gate." Akihiko smiled at the thin fingers that relied on him and gripped them. The realness of their warmth seeped through his knuckles. As long as she's there, he won't have to give up.

"Once you can speak again... When you can sing in front of a crowd again... You'll be the solo singer for our Graduation Ceremony." He heard himself said, letting a small ounce of hope escaped through the fissure. He strolled onward, not noticing the beginning of a smile on Miki's face. Shinji joined them on the front gate and held her left hand, with a smile he hid as he glanced sideway.

And for the first time in ten years, they returned to the safety of each other's hands.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

 **Personally, I'm very satisfied with this chapter. It's a chapter I spent more time to write and I can only humbly thank the readers for your continuous support despite my random update schedule. Recently I watched the Gangsta anime and I fall in love immediately with the two main characters. It's kinda rare nowadays to find an anime that I like since the first episode. I'm thinking of making a Death Note with Gangsta AU fic. I'm drooling from the image of L as a Twilight badass samurai and Light as his contract holder XDD**

 **Anyways, thank you for reading :D**


	14. Beauty Mark

**Chapter 14**

 **Beauty Mark**

Miki tightened her clasped hands, fumbling a bit so that her ten fingers intertwined atop theirs. She found her lips curled up fondly as they returned the gesture, the calming safety of each other's hands. Akihiko chuckled at something that his brute counterpart said and sometimes she wished that it was her who put that laugh on his face, not the wistful tone that masked the regret each time Akihiko spoke to her.

She wanted to tell him many things, but words failed her and Akihiko would cast a sad look that he thought she'd be too innocent to see. She retreated into a muted bliss once she learned that it was easier for both of them to pretend.

"Okay, we're here," Akihiko raised his hand that linked with hers, index finger pointed to a whitewashed facility that stood proudly alongside the coast. The facility was a short trip to the outskirt of Iwatodai, boasting its calming atmosphere even within the core of of a developing city. A few blocks later, they stood outside a modest building that easily reached three floors. She craned up her neck, a sliver of scabbed skin peeked out from the uniform.

Hiiragi Therapy was a modest building compared to its main office in Mikage-cho, as shown in the gallery which was located in the lobby. The facility was busy. A tired, but smiling nurse directed them to the receptionist, a woman reaching her forties. She happily processed her schedule and handed Miki her appointment control book.

"It's good being loved, right?" she gushed. Shinjiro looked away abashedly and Akihiko accepted the jest with a quiet acknowledgement. No wonder, most people who came here were either alone or accompanied with a manic family member. In worser case, the patient would be on the verge of breaking down. She refused to call this building a mental hospital.

"Dr. Sonomura is waiting in her office, second floor, Miki-chan," the receptionist said as she waved them away. They located the staircase, Miki brushed her thin fingers over the wall that was painted in the exact shade of cherry blossom. The wall housed pictures framed in smooth ebony wood, fine craftsmanship retelling success after success of Hiiragi Therapy's excellence. She noted an old picture of a particular woman with a beauty mark near her mouth, a serene smile on her face as she stood in the left side of her client.

Shinjiro found the room and rapped the door. Two sharp knocks that announced their arrival and soon an energetic voice told them to open the door. "Good day, you three" rather than heard it, she felt the positivity within that voice rolling in waves. They bowed and the russet-haired woman stood up from her chair. She washed her hands from specks of water paints and led them into the sunlit room.

"I saw you three walked here from the balcony and my hands moved by itself," she grabbed Miki's hand into what seemed like a compartment with assortments of painting tools. A wide, clear windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling took up the whole wall and offered them the coast side view from which they could see road.

A canvas placed in front of a wooden stool became their attention. A mesh of colours painted the sky pinkish red and three children stood side by side, clasped hands as if absorbing the center of gravitation that became the very emotion of the painting. Surprisingly, it humbled Miki. The proof that she belonged to their side, seen by the eyes of another person outside their small circle made the gratitude swell within her chest.

"It's not complete yet, though. I'll give it to you in our next session," the psychiatrist said, her eyes smiling at them.

"...Thank you, Dr. Sonomura," Akihiko said, scratching his cheek and directing a smile to his baby sister.

"Oh please, I told you to just call me Maki-san in our first session, have you three forgotten?" the woman laughed, her bowlcut hair bobbed up and down with her motions.

Dr. Maki then put a hand on Miki's shoulder, gently pushing her into a soft chair made from pure cashmere. "Well then, since recovery is important, I usually asks family members to accompany the process. To witness the changes, to encourage... After all, nothing is a better cure than knowing that there are people who wants you," she started, her eyes took a faraway look. She returned her attention to them, changing gears quickly.

"But for now, it's girls' time! Boys, please wait outside, alright?"

Akihiko looked torn between leaving or staying with Miki, although the latter was his first reaction. Shinjiro quickly anchored an arm to his neck.

"Look, dumbass, you want me to call you a siscon? The leader brat already called you like that twice. Leave the doc to do her job," he sneered and left the room with a wilted Akihiko in tow. He could hear Miki's small, quiet voice giggled at them.

It was a progress, he guess.

* * *

"... Can I see your notebook?"

They sat facing the wide windows, with the psychiatrist already returning to the canvas. Dr. Maki brushed a lighter hue of silver atop one of the children's heads, one whom Miki recognized as Akihiko. Calloused hands gripped the palette, slowly mixing the colours with the same care she treated her clients. At some point during the long course of her treatment, she told Miki when she noticed that Miki has been staring at her fingers that she practiced archery in her teenage years, in which Miki wrote that a senior of hers was one, too. Dr. Maki fixed her a knowing look.

The younger girl opened her school bag, producing a notebook worn by use and sweat. It was the psychiatrist that suggested her about using a notebook. Thinking back, it was because she was too afraid that her brother –strong, undefeatable Akihiko- would burden himself over and over again with the guilt, the regret. That he wouldn't be able to move on from the fire that should've burnt her to crisp.

Miki held out her hand to allow the woman in her twenties to take the notebook. She would read over the thin papers slowly, sometimes reading them with a smile and then delectably, almost gently, Dr. Maki would reinforce her to read her own notebook in whispers and finally saying a word or more. It was a difficult process for the first few years, but she said that being slow is better than accustoming herself to being mute.

Words poured over the small space.

 _"_ _Let's go back! Oh, but I want to try the mystery ramen that Shinji-san recommended yesterday,"_

" _Hi, too, Minato-senpai."_

 _"_ _I don't really want to look good like that,"_

 _"_ _I'm_ _staying behind. Someone have to tell the nurse if Shinji-san wakes up."_

 _"_ _There's something that SEES alone should talk about, right? I understand."_

Then, sombre mood settled over some shaky handwriting. Those were the ones she wrote over the weeks of Minato-senpai's disappearance. He showed up on the dorm unscathed one day and she remembered the immediate relief it brought her.

 _"_ _I'm sorry,"_

 _"_ _I want to see him,"_

 _"_ _I bet he's waiting in the dorm, maybe he skipped school because he's tired,"_

 _"_ _And then we'll go to the batting center together, just like before,"_

As if the clouds were gone, amusement coloured the next words. For Miki, those words were more important than the rest because those were the words reserved for them alone.

 _"_ _You won't get a girlfriend if you always glare at them, Shinji-san,"_

 _"_ _I want to save up,"_

"I don't think I've ever tell you this, but your brothers are waiting for something, especially Akihiko. He's waiting for something that only you can grant it," she said as she closed the notebook, as if ending a phase that leads to an unknown path. For better or for worse.

Miki shook her head and cast her eyes to the scenery laid before them, fascination slowly seeped in as the years caught up behind her. This landscape was a typical view in Dr. Maki's office, one that Miki had gotten used to within the years she spent within her care. Miki felt nervous.

"Have you ever asked him... How can he gave everything up for you?"

No, she's not ready.

Not when Akihiko always wore that expression. The palpable emotion of someone expecting something to happen whenever he was around her. He would sat quietly in the staircase that led to the school rooftop, listening to her voice on the other side of the door that she wasn't ready to share yet. The nostalgia that Akihiko hid whenever he patted her head affectionately and his mouth moved as if he was going to say something, but refrained afterward.

What Akihiko expected her to do, Miki had no idea.

Dr. Maki glanced at the younger girl, as though to tell her she has to let go.

Both of them knew that it'd be Miki's choice to stop relying on notebooks or keep hiding herself under muted bliss. Her vocal chord has healed and her lungs were cleared by a doctor's check-up, things that were impossible years ago.

"... Isn't it enough?" Dr. Maki confirmed, as if she could read her thought. She chuckled then, and she stood up from her stool, putting the palette in place and pulled Miki up.

Dr. Maki put a finger in front of her lips, as if asking her to keep a secret, "I have a goddess on my side."*

They ran to the door, taking Miki's school bag in one sweep and in one second, they stood before the barrier between them and her brothers. "Okay, up you go! You have to tell them something, right?"

She gave no time for Miki to recuperate and suddenly pushed her, she collided directly against Akihiko's chest and she yelped. Akihiko threw the doctor a nasty glare.

Then, for the first time in the years they met, Dr. Maki's serene expression turned into a small smile, one that gave rise to a more accepting front of her facade.

"I like this city... We seem to get along, come again if you need my help."

The three of them left the facility, sundown has long since passed. Akihiko talked about crazy doctors and cryptic responses, an arm looped comfortably around Miki's shoulder.

A halt stopped them, Akihiko and Shinjiro looked at Miki's trembling fingers that gripped the ends of her skirt tightly. When two pairs of scarlet eyes met, Miki stopped thinking.

"... A-" she started. Akihiko's heart spiked up.

In the pause, Miki intertwined their fingers once again. The time they would spend from now on, with Akihiko and Shinjiro free from the regret. Even if it's only small, she thought that it'll be a gift only she can give.

"...Akihiko-niisama, Shinji-san,"

Back in the dorm, no one commented on Akihiko's misty eyes.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

 ***Maki Sonomura is a cameo from Persona 1 and Persona 2, she became a psychiatrist by the start of Persona 2: Innocent Sin and she also appeared in Persona 3 in the Trish's Show, although she never appeared personally. By what she meant that she has a goddess by her side, she's talking about Verdandi, her ultimate persona which is the goddess that rules the Present. One of the three Norns. I've never played P1 or P2 so my research consists only of Megami Tensei Wikia and the game script.**

 **And about Miki's therapy, the method Maki used is called 'shaping', one of the method used to cure selective mutism. Again, I'm no expert but I've put my damnedest best to describe the disorder. Feel free to correct me, though :)**

 **Thank you for your support and please review!**


	15. Petrushka

**Chapter 15**

 **Petrushka**

"A human's body is weak, don't you agree?" rough, wistful voice gave a sigh. A strangled gasp accompanied him as he clicked the well-used revolver's safety off. As the unfortunate soul beneath his feet heard the resounding click, the horrified scream and pleading his victim gave them were most magnificent, indeed.

 **BANG!**

Like a flicker of a dying torch snuffed out in cold revenge.

Protruding ribs jutted out uncomfortably from a thin, malnourished body as Takaya knelt down on the filthy ground, on level with the screaming teen who clutched his shredded upper left arm, tortured as per their client's wish.

The pain humans can inflict to their own kind was only equal to the complexity of emotions behind it.

Weak creatures far below them who had surpassed humanity.

"N-no! Stay away! Get away from me!"

Pure, raw fear.

Instinct to survive kicked in as the teen grasped his useless arm. His trembling legs scooted away inch by inch from them, uncoordinated as they were in their attempt to whisk their master to safety.

The pitiful effort made the sheer euphoria unbearable.

Unnatural yellow eyes stared to the one soul waiting for salvation.

Takaya rested his revolver in line with bony hips as a serene smile made its way to his face, "Truth be told, us dwellers of this hidden hour has exceeded humanity itself. You are chosen to bear witness of the existence of its greatness, why must you fear this world?" he took a step forward, his shoes submerged in the pooling blood as coffins surrounded them.

His victim curled up within himself next to the dumpster.

"...But witnesses, most unfortunately, have to be eliminated, don't they?"

Point blank proximity.

Dead end.

The satisfying chunks of grey matter spilled in the dirty charcoal.

"...It's too messy," contrasting the murky background, a red shade of feminine figure draped in white approached the killer.

Takaya glanced at the corpse boredly, "Relax, he's not here so it's not a problem"

His companion stared at him listlessly and walked away from the scene, scarless wrists barely seen from the long sleeves.

Her white Mary Jane echoed softly as she turned around, "Oh? I'm sure he'll point it out when he choke you," she said with enough venom to coat the words.

A laugh erupted from Takaya's mouth, "Are you _worried_ about me, Chidori?" he cooed mockingly, he didn't even looked sideway as a gloved hand pocketed a camera. The same hand adjusted a frameless glasses as another teen sighed.

"We could've held up the end of our bargain when you shot first." Clad in a green bomber jacket, a black-haired teen gave the camera to Takaya, showing high-resolution pictures of their deal as the proof they'd send to the client.

"Now he's going to complain to me for not keeping the beast in check..."

"It doesn't matter. Tomorrow this will be another news of a random crime."

* * *

It was early morning when the murder made it to breaknews.

Mitsuru massaged her temple, the horrified expression on Takeba's face showed that she felt the same.

The newscaster had moved on to another topic, but the brutal murder left a persistent image in their minds. The city becomes more dangerous each day. The rising crime rate pushed the citizen into worry, away from their comfort zone.

The pixelated image didn't even deny the disclosure that the deed was done in cold blood.

 _"_ _A male teen (17) was found murdered behind Iwatodai Port, shot twice in his head and upper left arm. Considering the time of the crime, the lack of witness has since became the concern of the police force. The case will be put on hold until they find the witness of this crime. Next on, with the current number of the police force..."_

Takeba browsed her phone, her face grim. "..It... must've been true, then." She muttered quietly.

Mitsuru, who had returned to her usual composure, asked, "What is it? It could've been related." She puts her hands on her lap firmly, waiting.

"Have you ever heard of a revenge request website?"

A fine eyebrow arched, "No, I'm afraid I've never heard of it,"

"It started out as a rumor, but with more news like this, recently people has been talking about its guaranteed success and its complete anonymity. You just have to write the name of the person you want to get revenge on. I think that news is related to this website." Yukari said as she stood up and got ready to leave for school.

"Takeba,"

Yukari paused as she left the front door opened. The girl who would one day inherit the throne of the same monster that had destroyed her family stood facing her, the muted television behind them.

"..Have you ever think about revenge?"

Revenge. Let them experience the same suffering of being the daughter of the man blamed by the entire country for an incident she had no knowledge of. Destroy her family like how they destroyed hers.

Let them plummet to the ground and mocked by the world.

Her eyes watered, but she won't show such weak front to someone who was a part of the name that destroyed them.

Yukari stared back, emotions swirled within her eyes.

She left the silent heiress without another word.

* * *

"Man, you saw Yukari's eyes? I swear she's glaring at everyone." Junpei whispered behind him as the final bell rang, Yukari didn't even glance at them and she left without saying anything.

Minato gave him a thoughtful look.

"She might be getting her period," Junpei said as he threw him a grin which Minato didn't have any trouble to ignore.

He yawned and leaned his body forward to settle his upper body on the desk.

Junpei poked his arm, as if aggravating a potentially dangerous animal.

"Why do you always so tired? Hey, now that I remember, Yuka-tan once said that you fainted when there was a Shadow attacking the dorm."

"It was my awakening," he replied in short, clipped tone. There was something Minato didn't tell him. He wondered what.

"Huh, really? I didn't faint back then... But I did got temporary memory loss. Acting like a shitty crybaby, actually," Junpei grimaced at the memory and he couldn't hold back the retort.

"That suits you just fine,"

"W-what?! Hey, you're the one who was totally uncool." The other teen seethed. Face aflame in embarrassment, or anger. Probably both.

"Right. And I can always verify to Akihiko-senpai how cool your awakening was."

Junpei gaped in a faux shock at him. He grumbled under his breath, flopping his full weight on the desk beside Minato.

He let out a low, whining groan.

" Weeeellll, you're the cool hero because you fainted after saving a damsel in distress while I pissed my underwear in front of a guy who shot himself in the head and summoned a big, bulky monster. I think I do myself better in humiliation." Junpei said, playing with his cap.

"You don't have to. You've been humiliated enough. How many times have I rescued you from the Shadows like the dashing hero I am?" he deadpanned.

His unimpressed expression didn't last long, however.

Junpei thought he saw a faint quirk of his mouth but it was gone and Minato hid his head under his arm, a breathy gasp reached Junpei's ear.

Too late.

"You're _laughing_ at this poor sod, Minato? Really?"

Minato lifted his head up, "No." His face carefully blank and Junpei narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"I get the point. Here's your best tanker pitying himself and I see that my heartful cry is to your amusement. I should've taped your laughing moment and sell them to the girls..." Hermes' vessel pouted and Minato placated him, dragging his friend out of the school with a promise of free takoyaki.

They walked near the shrine when Minato felt something off. He halted his steps when Junpei looked at him as he wiped the takoyaki sauce.

"Something wrong?"

Minato shook his head, trying to reach out into his mind, feeling a sad, painful tingle surged from one of his links.

The Hanged Man rotated slowly, flashing red once before the sensation was gone.

Minato questioned the sudden powerlessness that enveloped him. It rattled his very core.

The first emotion that bothered him was the worry he felt.

 _He shouldn't- It shouldn't have-_

But then he was running, telling Junpei a quick 'see you at the dorm' and headed to the temple.

Maiko was crying when he found her by the swinging set, burying her face in the crook of her folded arms. Miki raised her head, acknowledging his company with a soft nod and returned to caressing Maiko's hair.

Maiko's tiny shoulder quivered with each sobs, fat tears cascaded recklessly. He felt his throat tighten as he knelt to Maiko's eye level. His hands, usually tucked away in the safety of his pockets, reached up and wiped a stray tear away without his command. The girl ( _child,_ he reminded himself) finally realized his presence and looked up.

The tear tracks on her cheeks shimmered with the sundown's light, colouring the handprint mark red.

 _(He closed his eyes. Crying children, locked out from the world. Everything's wrong, everything's twisted and nothing can save them)_

Since when...?

"I'm... sorry I didn't visit much," he managed quietly. But his words didn't ease anyone. Maiko widened her unfocused eyes, stubborn tears fell freely at the sight of her savior.

Minato was envious of Maiko, if he dared to admit. Of how the descending bodily fluid went unbidden onto her trembling figure. Crystalline drops transformed into pathways of a river while he only understood how to mask his facade into the calm harbour that accepted everything.

He tilted his head to the right and allowed Maiko to settle on his torso. Minato delivered a quiet sigh, placing his hand awkwardly atop Maiko's brunette crown.

"D-Dad, he—" Maiko sobbed, wiping her snot on his blazer as she calmed down.

"... Mom said since I was so useless, that it was my fault." Miki looked surprised, then sad as she tried to comfort Maiko but no sound came out from her throat. She looked anxious.

"Am I useless?" Maiko asked in a small voice.

Minato quickly shook his head, then pull her up. His calm voice lowered into a fading sigh.

"Of course not, she said that because their relationship is in a knot." Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly smiled.

"I know a trick, let's go to that booth." Maiko looked more like herself slowly and followed Minato who walked ahead.

Miki sighed exasperatedly and tidied the bags that littered around the swinging set. She walked up to them.

Minato brought them to a small, sturdy wooden booth that was filled with papers in various shelves. Because Maiko was smaller, he held Maiko up to a hidden stool she didn't see before and instructed her to join her hands.

"Now, imagine your parents' faces and pray that they make up," he said as he corrected Maiko's hands.

Maiko's face scrunched up in concentration and they could tell she was trying her best, in her own way.

In a way only a child can.

"Done!" she yelled at the top of her lungs and hopped from the stool, grinning brightly.

She looked vibrant, the cloud disappeared from her eyes. The way Minato's eyes soften into relief made her smile wider.

"Well, I have to go now. Let's play later!" she took her bag from Miki's hands and bowed to them.

Miki stopped her with a tug to Maiko's sleeve and she returned her attention to them. Miki searched something from her bag and retrieved a can of drink.

She looked at Maiko's eyes, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"Mad Bull? Wow, great!" Maiko thanked her profusely and waved at them even as she ran to the stairs.

Miki left after her, writing something about being late to her part-time job.

It didn't bother Minato. On the contrary, he was glad that she left.

Minato didn't understand. Wasn't it enough that she got such adoration from her family?

Why would she bother with anyone else? Just what is it about her that has everyone liking her so easily? He wondered.

He was sure that Miki met Maiko on coincidence and Maiko already thanked her profusely.

His thoughts darkened. He realized the ugly emotion for what it was.

Envy.

* * *

"Two house specials!" the served yelled to an older man near the pot and the man made their orders silently, acknowledging the usual customers with a nod.

Shinjiro returned it and Akihiko led them to the empty stools near the server.

"Do you two have a tough men contest or something?" Akihiko looked at them funnily and cracked a boiled chicken egg, eating it with a big bite.

"Shut up," The Hierophant fixed him with an ineffectual glare and removed his beanie.

Unkempt brown hair messed up, Akihiko stared at the slowly thinning hair.

Their conversation was cut short with the server bringing two bowls, the mist brought out the flavourful aroma.

"...You still haven't made up your mind?" he said as he separated the bamboo chopsticks.

A sigh from Shinjiro. "We've been over this, Aki. I ain't quitting."

"It's taking the toll on you," Akihiko said between bites, keeping his tone light.

Shinjiro sneered at him, "Stop talking as if I'm dying. What's done is done."

"...Make sure you drink your medication on time. Miki said that she'd barge your door on the prescribed days" Akihiko conceded after slurping the broth dry.

He stood up to pay their meal and they exited the well-lit shop together. "Miki's worried. Me too,"

"Hmph, you should talk." Shinjiro said as he put on the beanie again, even if it was too hot on summer nights.

"What?" Akihiko looked at him, confused.

"I have two big fucking idiots who are probably too stuck on the past. I can't leave them."

At Akihiko's unusual silence since he always picked fight, Shinjiro rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, Miki's cafe closed at 9. Let's pick her up and get out from this fucking night. I'm cold on this thick coat."

Akihiko laughed at Shinjiro's obvious sarcasm.


	16. Deuterium

**Chapter 16**

 **Deuterium**

Junpei groaned, beads of sweat dropped like waterfall as his legs gave to the floor. This was supposed to be another easy exploration. Rush to the 59th floor, beat that Intrepid Knight fucker, reach the next Floor Guardian and beat another fucker, go home and sleep through the class period. Again.

Nobody expected the Shadow to be tough as hell and snapped Mitsuru-senpai's rapier like a matchstick. He would've laugh at her surprised face if only it didn't blow him away with a mind-charged Garudyne. He was KO-ed in one blast.

It effing didn't get any better when their Router reported in a panicked voice that it didn't have any weakness. Minato quickly signaled for them to spread out and approach with caution. But the Intrepid Knight was far from done. Instead of attacking them with its giant sword, something Shadows they encountered usually do, it instead lifted up its great sword and glowing golden light trapped them. He didn't have any time to run away before a holy paper embellished in ancient writing chose its target. Their main healer was unconscious with a well-timed Hama. Great.

Fuuka's Ixtab led them back to the first floor after a hard-earned victory that costed Minato a mangled arm and Junpei was never any happier to see the front lobby and Ixtab's creepy lanterns. Fuuka ran over to them and supported Yukari's unconscious figure with her smaller body, mumbling apologies with teary eyes. The only ones left in the lobby were Shinjiro-senpai and Fuuka while the silver-haired senior stayed behind to guard the dorm. Or Miki. Same thing, really. Yuka-tan said that she suspected something different before they went to Tartarus tonight, though. Akihiko-senpai has been preventing the older senior to join the front line but Shinjiro-senpai fixed him this real scary glare and went out, anyway.

" 's okay, not your fault," Junpei waved her off with a tired grin and it alleviated her worry a little bit. Shinjiro-senpai's intimidating, tall figure leaned on the golden, woven railings that led to the second floor of Tartarus and he approached the beaten party, nasty-spiked axe in one hand. "One Floor Guardian, really? That's pathetic." Minato shifted in his position, avoiding to aggravate his broken arm.

Ever unperturbed, he summoned Unicorn and the white mystical creature galloped, thrusting its horn to the sky and healed its master's injury. Minato's complexion looked far better and the smaller cuts were closed, although he definitely needed to visit the infirmary later. Junpei shuddered at the memory of the strange physician.

"It would've been different if you were there, senpai. Your Persona doesn't have any weakness, at least." Minato said, testing his arm and nodded approvingly at Unicorn. The creature dissipated in a blue light but it never escape his mind that some of Minato's Personas were too otherworldly and strange. There was one time he was surprised when some cat girl whom Minato called Nekomata roasted those Table Shadows thingy. Makes one wonder whether the stoic boy somehow have... y'know, fetish?

The Magician's thought was cut short by Shinjiro-senpai's voice, itching to fight. "That's the point. Now haul up your sorry ass and finish today's quota. It's my turn, anyway. The rest can go home."

And there was one thing they agreed on since their number has expanded in just a few months. Usually, they decided the first party for the exploration like how they picked the King in the King's Game. Only, the King had to stay behind. Minato's an exemption, of course, since he's the Field Leader. Junpei regretted not being the King on the first run.

"B-but Shinjiro-senpai, the next Floor Guardians are in the 72th floor!" Fuuka warned, clearly afraid for their safety.

Wait...

"Floor... Guardians?" Yukari, now awake, paled.

"Yes, there are three Guardians on that floor! Strength Arcana. I'm sorry but that's the fastest I can find for now." Woah, talk about crazy-ass skill. Junpei whistled.

But seeing their current condition, it should be okay to call it a night, right? Not going with a full party is stupid. Even he knew that.

Instead, befitting of his unpredictable personality, Minato said an almost inaudible "Okay". Junpei could _feel_ the rising tension between Shinjiro-senpai and Mitsuru-senpai after Minato agreed. They glared at each other.

"Shinjiro, I forbid you to continue,"

Junpei could see Mitsuru-senpai's point, Shinjiro-senpai was too reckless and even more stubborn than Akihiko-senpai. But they were behind their quota of reaching 80th floor this month, already, and if what Ikutsuki-san predicted was right, they have less than two weeks before the next Full Moon Shadow. All the more reason to train.

"But it could wait," Yukari argued back.

And of course, knowing Shinjiro-senpai, he wasn't going to wait. "Dammit, we're fine." And just like that, he went to the portal and Minato sighed, catching up with him and told the rest of his teammates to go back.

Fortunately, Mitsuru-senpai trusted Minato enough to keep both of them alive. She told Fuuka to stay behind and updated her of the situations later in which the usually meek girl readily accept. It was strange for him to watch them interact, now that they knew that Fuuka worked for Mitsuru-senpai. There was a blurry line between work and teammates, but comfortable enough at its own pace not to interrupt their explorations.

The three went back to the dorm, but it never stopped bothering them.

Despite the gap of prowess between them that made Akihiko named him the Field Leader, Minato was a pushover.

Minato's passivity irritated Junpei since their first exploration. He was too silent to give direct order and positioned himself like a jack of all trades rather than a leader. He was polite and the type that listened to others, something that seemed off in most teenage boys. Minato also lacked ambitions, he even followed their whims around but there were moments when he didn't seem like himself. Junpei wondered how he became competent enough to pull them up through the growing tower.

* * *

Most of the Shadows scurried away from Shinjiro's mere presence. Minato has changed his weapon, preferring to pick off the remaining Shadows from afar with Yukari's bow as the senior bashed and wrecked the hallway to his heart's content. Minato knew what the senior could do, and seeing the torn battlefield made him certain of the raw power of his senior. Minato looked at the approaching Shadows, observing his brash fighting style that somehow still suited the rowdy senior. Minato opted to stay a reasonable distance away when he heard a _laugh_ as the Shadows' magic didn't get to him, obviously aiming for the strongest Shadow of the bunch and ignoring the weaklings.

Hector summoned, Shinjiro sidestepped to spin with a great force that broke the Shadow's mask and he slammed the blunter side of the double-edged blade, ending the Shadow that roared its last breath. Shinjiro finished his turn and cocked a grin, surrounded on all sides with no point of escape. Minato relaxed his stance, recalling Yukari's straight back and copied her posture. The feathery feeling of the arrow's fletching against the slender body of polished wood. Pull. Aim. Kill.

The snapping sound near his ears alerted Shinjiro, who ducked away from the incoming projectile and let the Shadow eat that.

Swoosh. Bullseye.

* * *

The junior caught up with him, noting the vast difference between raw power with his own eyes, if the ichor of the slaughtered Shadow can prove anything. The unprompted sigh of relief made Shinjiro realized that Minato's attention returned to him. He threw a Diarama without any complain and observed the floor for more Shadows after the magic did its job, watchful.

"Fuuka," Minato called, tapping twice on his earpiece as his eyes swept around the visible line of enemies. In the dark hallways, the bigger blob of Shadows can be seen unaware of their presence. "I didn't count the floor before, how many floors to the next Floor Guardians?"

Fuuka's softer, but firm voice replied. "Ten floors left. At this pace it might take more time if you two continue to take on more enemies. The Dark Hour would end soon."

"That's what she says," Minato ended the connection. "So... Compromise?"

Shinjiro snorted. "What are you doing?"

"We just have to avoid the rest of the Shadows annd reach the 72th floor. The Floor Guardians can be dealt with later,"

"And how are you gonna do that?'

Standing shoulder to shoulder, Shinjiro could see a slight tremble in Minato's figure, a telltale sign of exhaustion. It was an understandable reaction for someone who climbed more than anyone, however reliable. "Tired, brat?"

"I'll cover you, senpai. Just go ahead." Came the deadpanned reply.

A smirk. "So you say you're going to do the job of a full party?"

Without warning, Shinjiro caught the exhausted Field Leader off guard. Stumbling, gravity worked against him as Shinjiro spun the hilt of his axe towards the pivotal point of his balance. Shinjiro didn't need his eyes to see the bursts of phantom pain that flickered in Minato's body as he grimaced, his injured arm pushed back to the wall. He could sense weakness even though Minato's expression has morphed back into its unruffled neutrality. It's like staring at an ivory-coloured, smooth mask.

"Cheeky bastard," he started. "People like you-" Shinjiro hissed with a sick grin.

"-Ended up there, on the top getting away with everything just because they're irreplacable. And here you are some fledgling who played front liner and support and tanker and healer whenever the situation suits you. I've seen a lot of crazy shit on the street and people like you are dangerous. Though you don't smell like danger but those repertoires of yours ain't your typical jack of all trades shit. Let me ask you, _brat,_ why are you even here being a good boy?"

The mask didn't crack. Minato's steady voice, one free of inflection was reassuring. "I'm just good at staying useful."

Minato pushed back with his good hand and something changed. Shinjiro felt his aggravation faded away. "Let's go. Now's not the time nor the place, senpai." He said in a respectful tone, but beneath was a warning that told him to rein his temper.

"What the hell are you?" Shinjiro asked in undertone and he watched as passivity returned into Minato's demeanor. A docile but reliable Field Leader once again.

The two were silent for a few minutes, the eery shaft of green moonlight had moved to another part of the hallway and illuminated Minato's shoes. Somehow, the enervation returned to Minato but that was no surprise. Power in exchange of durability was a fair deal and there was a sudden sense of falling that only he realized.

"Never thought we'd be storming ten floors alone, eh?" Shijiro said, as if nothing ever happened.

The question seemed inferior than trying to keep himself upright but he persevered. Minato took a deep breath and the weakness dissipated.

"Fuuka, scan the staircases for the next ten floors."

The lanterns lit up their way.

* * *

"So you're awake!"

A cheery voice cut through the grey smoke inside his mind, too eager and it caused the pounding resonated in his head. He tried to get half of his body up with shaky arms and succeeded, only to see the school physician's grinning face. He craned his neck around, asserting the guess of his hazy consciousness that he was placed in the only bed of the infirmary. He felt a shred of not-so-well thought at seeing the concoction in the doctor's hand.

"You passed out in P.E. Did you have a rough night, boy?" the lilt of Edogawa-san's voice took on a naughtier meaning but before Minato could think of an answer or something more mundane like a follow-up question, the doctor talked again.

"The news were all over the place, you know? All those people who were found unconscious and became The Lost were all in pairs so when you passed out without your... significant other, your classmates brought you here and I can safely conclude that you haven't become a zombie. Congratulation!"

Minato tuned out the rest of his conversation, until the sliding door opened and familiar shoulder-length silver hair entered the infirmary, carrying a wooden tray with three mugs on top of it, Chihiro came up behind her.

"Ah, Sanada-kun, good timing! I was going to talk about you,"

He felt the bed dipped downward, accommodating Miki's weight after she put the tray on a high table beside the bed while Chihiro sat on a plastic chair. His hands fisted the thin blanket on their own accord.

"She's the newest member of Health Committee. It's good that she works in a cafe, I don't have to spend more money on coffee." Edogawa-san talked on as he sipped on the beverage blissfully. The girl pouted and took out her notepad.

 _"I'm not a vending machine! And I'm only a temporary member before Saori-sepai return."_ which caused the eccentric man to laugh unabashedly, spilling the dark brown content of the mug to the floor.

"M-Minato-san, you're okay?"

He nodded. Feeling more relaxed, Minato clasped her shoulder with his free hand and softly expressed, "Yeah, thank you Chihiro." The familiar way Minato called her name removed her discomfort at being touched by a man. The cold but steady hand that gripped her shoulder was strong, but what affected her was that his hand didn't held any trace of deception. A warm, soft sensation bubbled up from her toes to her fingertips and Chihiro found it comforting that her smile matched his own. It was refreshing to find a honorable man.

"Good," she flushed with a smile and Miki grinned conspiratively. Chihiro fiddled with her index fingers anxiously but she resolved quickly, inhaling and exhaling softly. Minato was reminded of the image of a warrior maiden putting on her armor. With a speed that he didn't know Chihiro had, she took out something from her pocket and plastered it to his cheek. The surprise only lasted seconds and he moved up his fingers to touch the band-aid on his cheek.

Edogawa-san who watched the entire spectacle frowned, "Well, the intention is good and all but he didn't get any cut, Fushimi-kun. He didn't get hurt, just passed out."

"O-oh, ahahaha... ha," she chickened out and ran away from the infirmary with an excuse that the library across them needed more hands, just go to the library if Miki wanted to go back and they'll walk home together. Okay bye.

Minato smiled, touching the faint link that connected them in his mind. The Justice rotated slowly, enveloped in a blue light.

Miki twisted her body to take another white porcelain mug and he looked away from the room, away from the lack of ear that was supposed to be there or a patch of mottled collarbone hued in milky white and yellow and charred black.

But when a scaly, contorted hand with raised skin that was usually covered in gloves when she worked gently pried open his fingers from the blanket, Minato lifted his head slightly. Miki was looking at him, ugly nails on stubby fingers clasped around the mug. She watched, hopeful and Minato took the mug.

The smile she gave made Minato's eyes smarted somewhat. Minato filed it away in his mind to be analyzed later, adding it to the growing list of things he didn't understand.

* * *

 **Author Note:  
**

 **Heads up, when you equipped Shirt of Chivalry on Minato, the kanji writing on his back meant 'honorable man'. That's where the idea of Chihiro thinking that Minato is a honorable man came from.**

 **And this is another symbolically-titled chapter because Persona Series are riddled with symbolism. The word deuterium came from the Greek deuteros, which means second. In chemistry, deuterium is a stable isotope of hydrogen with a mass approximately twice that of the usual isotope. Not that it helped my test score, but whatever. Source taken shamelessly from google and thanks for reading!^^ Let me know what you think, peeps.  
**


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